Life's Dark Valleys

In Psalm 23, David, on the run for his life and in a dark place personally, cries out, (v. 1) “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need” and (v. 4) “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” NLT.

We are guaranteed of walking through dark valleys in this life. They come relationally, they come financially, they come physically, and they come spiritually. Often, they intertwine with one another to be even darker. Financial pain can lead to relational pain, and often to physical pain. We can even begin to question faith through it all.

But, we see David’s reminder that the Lord is with us, and that is all we need in the dark valleys of our lives. And, David reminds us that we are walking *through* dark valleys – that there is an end to them. And, that as we walk through the valleys, we can do so without fear because God is close beside us . . . and He (and He alone) has the flashlight.

Here are six things to remember about your journey through the dark valleys:

• Dark valleys are guaranteed and they come to all of us. They are a byproduct of our sinful world, and none of us are immune to them. Some will be short, some long, some really bad, and some not so bad. A benefit of daily, personal spiritual growth through prayer, Bible study and the fellowship of believers is that we will be spiritually prepared for the dark valleys when they come.
• God is always with us as we walk through the darkness. For those who know Jesus, God is always with us. He will not abandon us. One way that God walks with us is through the fellowship of believers like our Sunday School class and church. Stay close to other believers; we are family – brothers and sisters in Christ.
•  God permits the dark valleys and uses them to shape us into what He wants us to do according to His purpose for us. Why in the world would a God who loves us allow dark valleys to occur? Because He uses those dark valleys to teach us, to break us, and to mold us into the people He needs us to be according to His purpose for us. The Bible is full of men and women who went through dark valleys to learn of God and to do great things for Him!
• We will stay in the dark valley as long as we resist God’s leading in our lives. God will use the dark valley until we are broken to His will for us. A dear friend of mine was a very successful banker, but was miserable in it. He finally came to a broken place, where he surrendered to God’s plan for Him. Today, he grooms and cares for small animals and has used that little business to share Jesus, minister to families, and help people immeasurably. He has never been more at peace.
• There is an end to the darkness, but that end may be eternity with Jesus. We are guaranteed eternity with Jesus, and so regardless of the dark valleys we face or the number of them that we face, ultimately we escape the darkness of this world completely.

6.      God wants us to share in the light what we learned in the darkness. Matthew 5:15-16 reminds us to let our light shine as a praise to our heavenly father. I would love for some of you to share – even briefly – on Sunday mornings about your dark valleys and the lessons of faith and hope you learned there. That could be a great testimony to others! I’ll bring the tissue.