Getting to Know the God of the Valley

Discouragements, trials and temptation times are common life occurrences. These are faith testing occasions and actually quite good for us. Our faith in God’s power and provision will cause us to turn to Him in the hard times and our lack of faith in His power will cause us to get angry at God and grow bitter toward God and people. These times can cause us to question whether God is even there with us or even if He cares. How well do you know the God of the Valley?

II Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

What do you do when your heart is breaking over a wayward son or daughter? Where do you go when you have been falsely accused or verbally attacked by someone you love? Where do you go to look for comfort when disappointments in life leave you feeling empty and abandoned? What do you do when there are no answers for that crisis situation that you are facing?

You see, dear friend, God knows what you are going through. Your situation is not new to Him! Don’t let Satan tell you that you are alone in your trial and no one really knows what you are feeling or going through. Satan loves to isolate us. To make us feel like we are all alone. Your faith in God’s ability to carry you through the fire will lead you to fall into His everlasting and comforting arms. He is there… “in all our tribulation…” and His comfort is satisfying to the soul of the one who will take God at His Word and just trust in Him!

Sometimes God will bring a person into our life who will be that Jesus with skin on to point us to the comfort that our thirsty soul so desperately needs. Guard against resenting those who attempt to encourage you to turn your eyes of trust and faith upon the Lord. Those are not just trite, quippy sayings that they are sharing with you. That is sound, Biblical truth.

In our desire for “comfort” and understanding from man, we must not disregard counsel that directs us to think Biblically about our trial. It is so easy to become a wallower in our discouragement. This is a pathetic state for a Christian to come to. This is a faithless existence and will separate us from having a warm, fervent relationship with Christ. You will also find yourself estranged from spiritually minded people who won’t coddle your faithless thinking.

What is our problem?

We need a perspective overhaul! Whose comfort are we really seeking? You will know that answer by how you react to a friend who speaks biblical truth to you! Those who have been hurt should realize quickly that the comfort that lifts us out of our despair can only come from God! He will often use people as His instrument to encourage and shine a light on proper Biblical thinking about our trial. Please don’t reject God’s instrument of comfort in your life….

God has a purpose for your trial and the subsequent valley. He is very capable of bringing peace to your troubled heart and releasing you from the hurt and anxiety you are living with. God has no limitations! He has very big shoulders and is just waiting to rescue us from our personal hurt. Just trust your situation to Him! Let it go! Take your hands off the problem. Don’t defend your right to be hurt and to carry a grudge or resentment. There is no emotional baggage greater, than the grudge you hang on to.

If we refuse to choose to accept…by faith…God’s comfort in tribulations, then we open our lives up to the curse of bitterness, unhappiness and estrangement in our own personal relationships. God’s purpose for the trials and tribulations is to teach us and strengthen us. He wants us to be able to learn to comfort others, in the same way God has comforted us!

Have you ever allowed yourself to joyfully experience first hand, the comfort of the grace of God in your life? Sometimes God wants us to go through hard things….for the sake of others! I have learned this from personal experience!

The God of the mountains is still God in the valley.

The God of the good times, is still God in the bad times!

Give up your fight and draw from the well of God’s comfort and be at peace…