From Strength to Strength in Weeping Valley

It’s audio devo day!

Has 2020 brought some times of heartache to you? If so, this word is for you today. Daddy God has some strength to pour into your heart as you listen here:

(Encouraged by this? Know someone else that needs to hear this today? You can either share today’s blog link with them, or look up my Feeding on Jesus podcast for sharing and subscribing. You’ll find it at these links on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and most other podcast platforms, with episodes identical to these audio devos!)

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“As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion” (Ps. 84:6-7, NKJV).

When you contemplate the future, do you foresee it as a series of trials, or a series of victories? This Scripture gives us a beautiful lens through which to gaze at what is to come. It’s this: Daddy God has it all worked out for us to move from one strength to the next.

Strength to strength. Does this seem too good to be true? Does it seem like Pollyanna hyper-positivity that ignores the painful aspects of our lives? Thankfully, this Scripture does take real-life suffering fully into account. Let’s take a closer look at verse 6. “As they pass through the Valley of Baca…” One likely translation of Baca is “weeping.” The pilgrims described in this Psalm have been through seasons of brokenness. They know the Valley of Weeping all too well.

Have you, too, been through this valley? If you have lived any number of years on Planet Earth, I would wager that you have. You and I can identify with these travelers. In fact, we can join them.

What do these pilgrims do when they find themselves trekking through the valley of tears? They make it a spring. They submit to God’s process that turns the place of sorrow into the place of supply. They know from experience that He sends His rains to cover the valley with healing, refreshing pools. They, like Joseph, can proclaim, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering” (Gen. 41:52, NIV).

From strength to strength. This doesn’t mean there’s not any weeping along the way. There is. Nor does it mean that we are plastering on a fake smile, grinning, and bearing it. No. In fact, Daddy God encourages us to lament with Him when we need to. What is it, then, that brings strength out of our tears? What is it that transforms Baca Valley into a spring?

The answer is in the heavenly perspective that this Psalm provides. It’s the revelation that whatever you are currently pouring out your heart to God about, is temporary. It’s “light and momentary” (2 Cor. 4:17). It’s not the main point. The main point is that His glory is ever increasing inside of you as you travel onward. You are going from strength to strength!

When we envision the path in front of us this side of heaven, let’s lean in and listen to the God of Hope. Yes, that’s one of His names – which means that breathing hope into our spirits is an essential aspect of His very nature (Rom. 15:13). Daddy longs for us to see what lies ahead as a journey of victory, a journey of strength, and a journey of joy. Here are some glimpses at how He wants us to picture what the future holds for us:

•  “…You may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13b, NKJV).
• “I am overflowing with joy in the midst of all our suffering” (2 Cor. 7:4b, NET).
• “…You may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19, NIV).
• “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b, NKJV)

Reading all that, do you get a feeling He intends a really good thing for you? He does! His plans for you include abounding hope… overflowing joy… fullness to the measure… and life more abundantly. So take heart, pilgrim. You’re on your way to your next strength!

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When you look ahead, do you see a series of triumphs? What is God speaking to you about what He sees for your future?