“Every valley shall be filled. . .” Luke 3:5 (NIV)
January 3, 1998
{Devotional Book: Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon}
A valley, we know, is a low place between two or more higher
places. As Christians we experience spiritual valleys. Some of us go through
emotional valleys. Pastor Mike, a pastor we had for seven years, sang “God of
the mountain is still God in the valley,” a comforting statement for me during
this time.
Luke tells me every
valley shall be filled. All, each one of them will be leveled out and we will
go forth with our lives, with our families, and especially with Jesus.
I had some very trying times during my life. But the comfort
I received from the Lord brought me through each of them. I learned from a dear
saint of God that when I was “in a valley” I was the most teachable because
being brought down made me look up to God. Sometimes I could find comfort only
through prayer, Bible study, devotional reading, and journaling.
Back in 2000, when a relative
emailed me that her son-in-law was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer, I
suggested she purchase a spiral-bound notebook and just write about her
feelings. I also mentioned she could write a letter to Cancer. Telling it what
she thought of it. (She wasn’t a Christian at the time; I told her she could
use explicit words, if she felt she had to.) I don’t know if she did but I
tried to give her an outlet for her emotions.
As I sit here trying to sort
through some essays, I find myself in frequent fervent prayer for a family who
has been faced with the serious illness of a loved one. All I can do is pray
and write about God’s presence when we face trials and tribulation.