Life in the valley

Are you in a valley right now? Life is full of peaks and valleys. We love to be on the mountain top, but why not the valley? There are lessons to be learned in the valleys. There is fertile soil there to help you grow. We fight the valley and try to get out before we learn why we are there. It is a time to gain the strength and wisdom needed to climb the next mountain.

I’ve had my share of valleys and mountain top experiences. Here are some things I’ve learned in the valley.

1. Growth happens there

You weren’t meant to stay in the valley, but you were meant to learn there. God has always used the valleys of my life to grow me. Some of the greatest crops in the world today are grown in valleys, not on the tops of mountains. If you find yourself in a valley, quit struggling to get out and spend time figuring out how you are to grow from it. There are things taught in the valley that you can’t learn anywhere else.

Spend your time in the valley wisely. You can choose to be upset and think that you are being punished or you can be happy and know that you are being strengthened. God knows what is ahead in your life and gives us seasons in the valley to give us strength to endure what’s ahead. If you leave the valley too soon, you may not have the strength to do what He called you to do in the future.

2. Reconciliation happens there

God will use valleys sometimes to bring reconciliation with Him. Jonah found repentance in the belly of the whale. When David was in the valley he cried out for God to create a new heart in him and to renew a right spirit within him. He knew that even though he was in the valley, God still heard him.

It’s easy to be short sighted in the valley because our view is blocked. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look for God while we are there. He uses the valley at times to purify us and to remind us of who he is. We are reminded that He is God and we are His people.

3. God speaks there

In the darkest times of my life is where I heard God the most. It’s hard to hear Him in the valley though. We become preoccupied with trying to climb out or asking why we are there. We rarely listen though. God wants to use this time to speak to you and to let you know Him. Don’t push Him away.

The tendency is to blame God for being in the valley rather than to listen to Him. He can use this time to help you hear Him better and to draw you closer to Him. Don’t fight Him in the valley. Submit to His will and listen to what He says. You will find that when you are at your lowest, He is at His closest.

What can you learn from your valley? Is God trying to grow you, reconcile you or speak to you? Take time today to stop fighting with Him and questioning Him. Stop and listen to what He has for you in the valley. It won’t last forever and what you learn from it will shape your future.