Day 26 – The Valley
As a shepherd, David knew that valleys were not just places of danger. They were also necessary passages.
Day 26 – The Valley
Psalm 23:4 — “…I walk through the valley…”
When we hear that word, we immediately think of trouble, but there is more to the picture.
As a shepherd, David knew that valleys were not just places of danger. They were also necessary passages. In Israel, shepherds would lead their flocks from the lower elevations to the lush summer pastures found high in the mountains. To reach those green meadows, the sheep had to travel through narrow valleys. These ravines could be steep and dark with towering rock walls that blocked the sunlight. Wild animals hid among the rocks and flash floods could quickly turn a peaceful trail into a dangerous one.
No sheep would choose that route yet no sheep could reach the higher pasture without it. That’s a powerful picture of the Christian life. It’s our nature to pray for mountaintops, but God does His deepest work in the valleys.
It’s in the valleys that faith is tested and prayer becomes more earnest. That’s where our confidence learns to rest in God Himself.
God repeatedly met His people in low places. Jacob encountered God in the midst of his fears. Elijah heard the gentle voice of God in his deepest discouragement. Even Jesus went to the wilderness before beginning His public ministry.
God uses difficult places to prepare His servants for His work. It’s in the valleys that He leads us somewhere that we could never reach any other way. Wintley Phipps used to say, “If the mountain was smooth, you couldn’t climb it.”
The road of faith winds through ravines, follows streams and climbs gradually through low places before reaching the peak. It may seem like you’re moving away from your destination but the Shepherd knows that the valley is part of the climb.
If you find yourself in a valley today, don’t assume you’ve taken a wrong turn. The Shepherd knows every bend in the trail and He never wastes a difficult journey. The very place you would avoid may be the place where He teaches you to trust Him most deeply and prepares you for what lies ahead.
James 1:2-3
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
