We all have valleys, big and small. My mom has been sick with shingles for three weeks now and this has been a valley for her. What started as a couple of irritating spots has turned into a full-blown shingles outbreak that has been filled with extreme nerve pain. It has pushed her to her emotional limits and that says a lot because my mom can handle pressure well!
“I’ve just felt abandoned [by God] during this whole ordeal,” she explained through tears a few days ago.
Can’t we all relate? I don’t think there is one Christian out there who hasn’t, at one time or another, felt abandoned by God during a valley. Sure, we all know the poem about the two footsteps in the sand, but what happens when we can’t feel God carrying us?
Today when I called to check-in on my sweet mom, she began crying as she spoke to me about an amazing God encounter, she had last night. After not having her quiet time for many days, my mom picked up her Bible last night and began reading. Maybe I’m just my mother’s daughter or maybe many of us struggle with this, but when I’m in a valley, sometimes I forget to pray. In fact, I begin trying to “handle” the situation on my own and I truly get sidetracked and forget to have my daily quiet time with the Lord. So, I understood how at a time of intense pain, she had skipped her quiet time. Through tears, she talked about reading Matthew’s account of Christ’s crucifixion when He cried out, “My God, My God. Why have you forsaken me.” (Matthew 27:47). In that moment, God whispered to her heart, “Even my son thought I had abandoned Him, but I did not leave Him and I will never leave you.”
It sparked an entire conversation between us about God. It was convicting for me. So often we forget that valleys are places we can lean into God and experience His Prescence in extraordinary ways. How does someone survive a divorce, an illness, a loss of a loved one, a job loss, a financial struggle, a wayward child, a missing pet, etc. without Him. And as Christians IT’S OUR JOB TO BRING OTHERS TO CHRIST so they can find purpose in their valleys as well. Because WITHOUT GOD, YOUR SUFFERING HAS NO PURPOSE.
So, as I was reminded today, I will remind all of you who read this. Your pain has purpose, but only God can make a terrible season turn into purpose that can be shared with others for encouragement. For we know that God has promised us to “make beauty out of ashes…” (Isaiah 61:3)
But to survive these trials, we must be in the Word. And we must remember to fill our own cups through time with God. This takes discipline to turn off all the distractions around us and carve out specific times with Him because we know we must be quiet to hear the Lord’s voice. Satan has done an amazing job at creating a lot of noise and distractions in our lives. It is imperative we block that out and spend time with God. He is our portion. He is our redeemer. He is our provider. He is faithful to meet us in the quiet place and show us we are not alone in our valleys.
