Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. Ps. 84: 5-7
Grab your sheep, grab your kids, grab your pita bread, and let’s go! The Israelites every year made the trip to Jerusalem to take part in the feasts and the Passover. The road was not always safe. There were robbers, there were wolves, there were rocky mountains, and deep valleys. Then the danger cleared and there would be meadows and sunshine, a smooth path. Never, though, would families travel alone. They always kept safety in numbers.
I was thinking about our journey, our daily journey, the walk through the dust of this earth. It is much like this road to Jerusalem. There are seasons of plenty, and seasons of drought. In the bright sunshine, and then, we find ourselves in the valley of Baca, the Weeping Valley. Along this road, there are times where like the Israelites; we lift our tambourines and voices in unison to the Lord. Other times, we walk in silence… forgetting that we are even with a crowd of people, through the valleys, feeling very much alone and abandoned.
Interesting, though, there in the Valley of Baca, they found wells, springs of water. Where did they come from? How did they get there? They were dug and provided by those who had gone before them. The Jews that walked through the same valley before them, made wells for the ones coming behind them. How odd that in the Weeping there is Watering!!! On the contrary! That is how the Lord designed the economy of the saints!
So what do we do in the Weeping Valley? Do we pass through it with our head hung low, maybe in shame, maybe grief, sorrow, trying to just get through with our eyes closed until we break out into the meadow once more? I believe that we make a grave mistake if that is our approach. There are saints coming behind you that need to be watered by the wells you dig in Baca. Leave your wells! Dig them deep! Water them with the Word of life. Teach them about the Messiah who cried:
‘Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ John 4:14
If you are one that finds yourself in the valley of weeping, there is a promise for you. Check it out! Do you see it! Be encouraged, weary traveler, ‘each one appears before God in Zion.’ You will make it! We, who are on the highways to our Zion, will complete the journey. Not one will be lost on the way. So, strengthen yourself in the Lord! Tighten those sandal straps, shift the weight of your knapsack, grab your walking stick, keep your eyes on heaven, and take courage today!
Grab your sheep, grab your kids, grab your pita bread, and let’s go! The Israelites every year made the trip to Jerusalem to take part in the feasts and the Passover. The road was not always safe. There were robbers, there were wolves, there were rocky mountains, and deep valleys. Then the danger cleared and there would be meadows and sunshine, a smooth path. Never, though, would families travel alone. They always kept safety in numbers.
I was thinking about our journey, our daily journey, the walk through the dust of this earth. It is much like this road to Jerusalem. There are seasons of plenty, and seasons of drought. In the bright sunshine, and then, we find ourselves in the valley of Baca, the Weeping Valley. Along this road, there are times where like the Israelites; we lift our tambourines and voices in unison to the Lord. Other times, we walk in silence… forgetting that we are even with a crowd of people, through the valleys, feeling very much alone and abandoned.
Interesting, though, there in the Valley of Baca, they found wells, springs of water. Where did they come from? How did they get there? They were dug and provided by those who had gone before them. The Jews that walked through the same valley before them, made wells for the ones coming behind them. How odd that in the Weeping there is Watering!!! On the contrary! That is how the Lord designed the economy of the saints!
So what do we do in the Weeping Valley? Do we pass through it with our head hung low, maybe in shame, maybe grief, sorrow, trying to just get through with our eyes closed until we break out into the meadow once more? I believe that we make a grave mistake if that is our approach. There are saints coming behind you that need to be watered by the wells you dig in Baca. Leave your wells! Dig them deep! Water them with the Word of life. Teach them about the Messiah who cried:
‘Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ John 4:14
If you are one that finds yourself in the valley of weeping, there is a promise for you. Check it out! Do you see it! Be encouraged, weary traveler, ‘each one appears before God in Zion.’ You will make it! We, who are on the highways to our Zion, will complete the journey. Not one will be lost on the way. So, strengthen yourself in the Lord! Tighten those sandal straps, shift the weight of your knapsack, grab your walking stick, keep your eyes on heaven, and take courage today!
