For the last few years my family has walked through the valley. At times it seems as though this canyon is a deep, dark, never-ending canyon. Have you ever felt as though the valley you’re walking through is going to drown you in darkness, sorrow, heartbreak, illness or the myriad other challenges we face?
Take heart. The God who sees, El Roi, doesn’t turn a blind eye to us when we cry out from the valley. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
I’m sure we can all relate to this verse. I know over the last few years my heart has broken time again and at times, my spirit sure feels crushed. Yet, we have a reason to rejoice! When we are brokenhearted, He is close to us and He will save us.
No matter how bad things seem, God still cares. He hasn’t abandoned us, will walk beside us through all of the valleys, and we will see the mountaintops again. When we are brokenhearted, Psalm 147:3 tell us, “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” What a beautiful thought!
As my family has walked through this valley, we’ve seen God’s hand at every turn. He’s shown us that He won’t leave us or forsake us. As hard as it’s been, we’ve encountered blessings throughout this season. As my husband said, it’s a good time to recenter and focus on what’s important. We’ve drawn even closer to God through this.
When we walk through these valleys, and they will come in this life, we need to focus on God, and praise Him while we’re still in the valley – still suffering. Now, I’ll be honest here, there are times in my life, my prayer has been, “God, really? I can’t do this anymore!” But He doesn’t allow me to stay mired in self-pity. Not when He is El Shaddai – God Almighty. As God Almighty – our Creator, Holy, the Alpha and Omega – He deserves our praise especially when we’re in the valleys of life.
Perhaps the praise offered up from our valleys might just provide a sweeter aroma to our Lord. After all, in Revelation 5:8 it says compares the prayers of the saints to incense. “When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
TW Hunt said, “If we praise the Lord on the mountaintops and don’t do it in the valleys, it’s not praise of the Lord at all. It’s just praise of our feelings. His worth doesn’t depend on our mood.”
Lord, help us as we traverse the valleys of life. Help us to continually praise You even as we cry out to You for help. You alone are worthy.