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Three Things to
Remember When You Walk through the Valley
BY
RICK WARREN
“Even though I walk through the
darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm
23:4 NIV).
You may not be in the valley of the shadow of death right now,
but you may be in another valley.
These are hard places on your journey, where it’s easy to doubt
or overlook God’s goodness.
But you can always trust that God walks through the valleys with
you. And he’s promised to bring you through to the other side.
Psalm 23:4 says, “Even
though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with
me” (NIV).
Here are three truths worth remembering when you are in the
valley:
1. You
are not alone; God is with you.
The shadows in your life are the evidence of the presence of
light.
How do you deal with a shadow? You turn your back to the shadow
and look at the light.
Jesus said, “I am the light for the world!
Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that
gives life” (John 8:12 CEV).
The Bible says God is light and in him there is no darkness at
all.
You need to stop focusing on the things that scare you: those
bills, those fears, those worries, that stuff that keeps swirling around in your
mind. Move your focus off your fears so you can focus on the Father.
2. God
has a good purpose for your valley.
God cannot do evil. Even when you’re facing problems, conflict,
grief, fear, or failure, God is at work creating some good from your valley.
Romans 5:3-5 says, “We rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s
love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given
to us” (ESV).
3. Remember:
The reward will last forever.
You’re going to be rewarded for remaining faithful to Christ in
the valley of failure, in the valley of fear, in the valley of conflict, in the
valley of grief, in the valley of brokenness, and in the valley of trouble.
You’ll be in heaven less than a minute before thinking, “What
was I thinking? Why did I complain so much? Why did I worry when I was going
through those valleys? God was right there with me all the time, and he was
good to me all the time.”
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For
our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for
us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (NLT).
Talk It Over
· What has you most afraid? What lies about those fears are you
believing?
· How can you be reminded of God’s goodness when you walk through
your next valley or while you finish walking through the valley you’re in right
now?
· Why is it important to look for the good that God is working out
while you’re in your valley and not just after you’ve come through to the other
side?
Rick
Warren
is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer. The various
ministries Pastor Rick has created are a multi-faceted expression of his heart
to bring the whole Gospel to the whole world.
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