Surrounded By Valleys

I received this in an email from our friends, Ted and Rebecca Corriveau. They've been going through their fair share of valleys these days and Ted wanted to share his thoughts on being surrounded by valleys so he wrote this and had Rebecca email it to their friends. Which I'm glad she did because it was an encouragement to me. They said we could email it on to others, so I don't think they'll mind me posting it on my blog.


Surrounded by Valleys

"Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…" - Psalms 23:1. For some people, that verse means that even when I’m about to die, I won’t be afraid. I’ve always saw it in that light until today. Today God brought another meaning to light. The "valley of the shadow of death" doesn’t say "valley of death", it says the "valley of the SHADOW of death". Now, I’m not sure exactly what the psalmist was thinking. Job comes to mind, and how he might have THOUGHT Satan was going to take his life along with everything else he had obtained, but that wasn’t the case. This was a perfect example of the SHADOW that the psalmist was talking about. Even when Satan takes everything UP TO my life, I will not be afraid.
Bear with me now…

I had been asking God for a way to encourage some of my dear friends that might be going through a tough time in life. Even though I might not be as close to them as I would like, I know God wants me to do whatever I can to fulfill His will for my life.

In the Christian’s walk of life, many verses jump out and prove to be jewels of wisdom from God himself. For some it’s Psalms 23. For others it’s Isaiah 40:31. The Lord has been taking me through a lesson this year and I would like to share it with you.

The Christian life is FILLED with valleys and mountains. Sometimes we cannot see the valley because we are in it. When we look back from the mountain top, we understand what we went through by learning from the valley. Sometimes we can see the next valley coming, and know there is nothing we can do to avoid it. God sent me a verse this year that has been an absolute blessing to me, and I try to pass it on to everyone who needs encouragement.

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. " - Romans 5:3-5

Every day, we as Christians go through valleys. If we are truly walking in Christ’s footsteps, He will lead us from one valley to the next; from one mountaintop to the next. He knows best, and He prepares us for what is yet to come. Some Christians choose to stay on the mountain, and stray from God’s will for their lives. They look for the green, wide open plains because they are scared of going through those valleys.

Some valleys are like the psalmist said "the shadow of death"; most are valleys of teaching, training, and development of the Christian on his/her journey through life. Many times praying brings on valleys. If you pray for Wisdom, there is a valley. If you pray for patience, there is a valley. If you pray for strength, there is a valley for that too. God uses these valleys to test us, and develop our skills so we will be ready for the SHADOW valleys that lie ahead.

But here is the jewel. Here is the lesson. Don’t miss it!

Every valley in life works exactly like these 3 verses. EVERY ONE OF THEM!
Tribulation: When we enter a valley, there is always a tribulation (of some sort). This is the REASON for the valley. "For we know that ALL things work together for good…" – Romans 8:28
Patience: As we progress through the valley we are taught to have the patience to continue in the valley, and to walk in Christ’s footsteps as He leads us through the perils and dangers. Sometimes stopping along the way to peek out above the foliage and catch a glimpse of where we might be headed.
Experience: As we are emerging from the valley, on the other side, we look back to try to understand exactly what it was we learned. This is why many of us go through the same valley over and over again; because we failed to learn from the valley before, and do not gain the experience to move forward.
Hope: (The best of all) As we climb to the top of the mountain ahead, with the light shining on our faces, and we feel God’s hand on us, and we breathe the clean fresh air once again; we can look around us and have HOPE that the next valley will be easier or brighter because we have Christ with us, and He is guiding us through the valleys.
As we descend into the next valley, we bring with us PATIENCE, EXPERIENE, and HOPE. Sometimes we go through valleys; not necessarily for our own benefit, but so that we can help others who might be going through that same valley. When some of us are on top of the mountain, others are in the valley. When we are in the valley, others are on top of the mountain. When we see others going through the same valley we’ve been through, we know exactly what God is trying to teach them; and can give them exactly the right encouragement or help along the way.

This is the Body of Christ working together in unison. This is what it means to be IN the hand of God.

We are surrounded by valleys. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? – Romans 8:31

This is me on the mountaintop, reaching down into the valley below to help and encourage others going through the same valley. May God use me and these thoughts to brighten your day, and many more to come.
--Ted Corriveau