Romans 8:28, New Living Translation

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

When we hear someone talking about a valley, it’s often with a negative connotation. True, the valley is where our battles take place, but it is also where our victories are found! Pull through into those victories, we become a changed person. We are stronger, wiser, more compassionate, and understanding towards others. When we go through the valley, we can be assured that God is with us, and that he will work it out for us. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT)

The experiences we face in our day-to-day lives can at times be enough to drive us to our knees, to make us feel like we cannot pray anymore. But know this, God is there to catch you when you fall. He will not leave you in the valley alone!

Do you remember Ezekiel when God is speaking to the prophet? He had carried Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones by His Spirit. He told Ezekiel, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!’” (Ezekiel 37:5, NLT). Do you remember when God created Adam? “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” (Genesis 2:7, NLT). The Lord has given us his very breath in our very lives. God created us for relationship, as we see in the creation story. We also see deception in the garden when the serpent said to Eve, “…Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1, NLT). He caused Eve to doubt God, to doubt His character to doubt His love and provision. Even today, in the valley, in the battle, Satan is saying, “Did God really say?”

He wants us to doubt God. He wants to cause fear and anxiety within us. He wants to rob us of our peace and our joy. But I encourage you to grasp the hand of God! Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

He will hold us up with His victorious right hand! If we go back to Ezekiel 37, we see where the LORD God said to him, “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore, prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” (Ezekiel 37:11–14, NLT)

The Lord God, rose up and army and gave them life. He put His Spirit in them. What He has done for them, He has done for us! For we have been grafted into the vine! He breathed His breath of life in us, like Adam, like the dry bones. And He gave us His Spirit! Jesus tells us in John 14:26–27 (NLT), “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

When you are in the valley, hold onto His hand! Hold onto His gift— peace of mind and heart. No doubt that He is with you to help you through the valley. When you get to the other side, and you will, you will be a better person for it! And you will thank God for taking you through the valley!