I’d ask Brother Dustin Midkiff to contribute to this anytime he had a thought or a message he feels like sharing. He hasn’t disappointed. This is well worth the read and I’m sure will bless you as it did me.
Why the Valley
You’d think at this point in life that valleys would be less surprising when they happen, but I don’t think we’re ever truly prepared for just how hard things can get sometimes. We have no knowledge of what tomorrow may hold, and while we make plans how often does everything happen exactly the way we expect? One phone call can change everything…for better or worse. You and I certainly are not the first to ponder the meaning of valleys. Consider the following.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 tells us “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”
Solomon observed everything that surrounded him and realized that no one escapes the common trials of life. As he said “time and chance happeneth to them all.”
So, why is it that I feel alone when going through MY trial? Why do I ask the same things every time I must go through the valley? “Why am I here? Why does it feel like everything is shrouded in the shadow of uncertainty, and why do unexpected pain and regret seem to be popping up with such alarming frequency. What is this place…this valley where I feel most alone? Why must I be here, and what lesson must I learn before I am allowed to leave?”
Recent trials have led me back to these same questions, and my purpose for writing is to share with you the answer I believe I was given.
The short answer is…that I might be saved. Makes perfect sense, right? Allow me to explain. My pondering over personal disappointment led me to this verse. Isaiah 12:2-3 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
It struck me that this verse was all about valleys. Think about it. How many wells have you seen on top of a mountain? I can’t think of one, but I have seen plenty in the valley between the mountains. If we think of the mountain as the moments where everything is going great, then what lessons do we learn about TRUST when we are there?
Two things in particular stand out to me in reading this passage. Number one, I have to WILL myself to trust and not be afraid. The writer said “I WILL, trust and not be afraid…”. When nothing makes sense…I WILL trust in whom I have placed all my hopes. MY trust is MY choice.
Number two, Joy must be my constant companion while in the valley if I am to access God’s salvation. It is the utensil I use to draw from Salvation’s well! “…With JOY shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” In my moments of doubt its time to go back to the well, get ahold of Joy, and take another drink!
If you find yourself in the valley today, Sir/Ma’am…Trust in the Lord, and cling to Joy! It’s going to be alright! The darkness shall soon give way to morning!
God Bless You Today!
Bro. Dustin
The Swimming Axehead 