If there is one thing that I have come to know during this trying season, it’s that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). I can honestly say that though this has been one of the most difficult times in my life, it has also been one of the sweetest.
At first, I resented the fact that God choose a life filled with suffering for me. I don’t understand why I have had to endure some of things that I’ve gone through, but I’ve also come to realize that the greater the depths of our valleys, the greater we come to know the depths of God’s love for us.
When you are at a place in life where you are desperately clinging to God to sustain you, you come to know Him as more than just words on a page. You know Him as Savior, not just because He saves, but because He has been your salvation. He is Comforter, not just because He comforts, but because He has wiped away all of your tears. He is Redeemer, not just because He redeems, but because He has reached down and rescued You.
Christ has become more real to me in this valley than on any mountain top I have ever stood on. Mountain tops aren’t wrong or less than, just different. I’ve come to know Christ in a different way and had I not been through this valley, I don’t know if I would have ever experienced this facet of my walk with the Lord.
I don’t think you can substitute the things you learn in the valley, unless you actually go through the valley. You can’t read about it, watch someone else go through it, or sit on the sidelines. Going through the valley makes you stronger, more resilient, and refined by His fire into more of His likeness. There’s no other way. You can’t go around it, jump over it, crawl underneath it; you have to go through it.
And as hard as it may be, it’s worth it. Every single miserable second in this awful valley is worth the richness that I have found in my walk with the Lord.
So, if you are walking through the valley, let God take you by the hand and lead you through it. Just you and Him. No one or nothing else will satisfy. Savor these moments when He draws you into His chest and whispers into your ear, “You are mine”. He will be your refuge and strength. He will protect you and guide you. You will get through this. Maybe a little battered and bruised, but you will experience Him in a deeper way than ever before. He will become your all in all. His grace will be sufficient. He will be more than enough.