Living in Our Valley
The first four steps of living through the valley and coming out on the other side may seem fairly simple. Simple to say, but difficult to execute in many ways.
#1 Seek The Lord
#2 Get to Church
#3 Remind the Lord
#4 Seek the Safe Place
The next step is not only difficult to say, but also difficult to execute. This step has the power to change our hearts and minds.
#5 Not every battle needs to be fought
“And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” 2 Chronicles 20:10-12
As humans, it is in our nature to defend ourselves, to speak out against the wrongs committed against us, and to make excuses for why something happened. Pastor James A. McMenis says, “A person who defends themselves will always be average.” King Jehoshaphat wanted so badly to defend the people and himself, but the Lord would not release him to do so. What if King Jehoshaphat had taken defense into his own hands? We find that the people were successful, but it was all because of the Lord’s doing, not their own. The people were wronged, taken advantage of, misrepresented, and mistreated. Have any of these things ever happened to you? The one that is often the hardest for people is being misrepresented. That’s when we desire to speak up the most, defend ourselves, and take action against the wrong that has been committed. Later in the passage, the Lord continues to remind His people of their need not to fight:
“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17
Do you see the key instructions here?
- “In this battle”
- “Stand still”
- “Fear Not”
- “Don’t worry”
- “The Lord is with you."
These five key phrases and instructions are all we need. There will be plenty of battles the Lord will allow you to engage in, but this battle may not be one of them. In the valley, we often feel like we are being backed into a corner and surrounded. That is when it becomes hardest to follow the Lord’s instructions. A battle that God fights for you will always place you on the side of victory.
#6 Family Matters
I could go on and on about this, but notice what transpires in the middle of the valley:
“And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.” 2 Chronicles 20:13
In the middle of the valley, they are found standing before the Lord with the only thing in life that really matters: their families. As we walk through valleys in life, we must first realize that our family may be all we have, and will ever have. Diana and I write in our book Onions to Honey that in our lives, we had to come to the realization that no matter how intense the pressures were around us, all that matters is our relationship with Jesus and our family. We created the phrase “Just the Five of Us!” We put our entire focus on our vertical relationship with the Father, and then how that impacted our immediate relationship with our three children.
There is a second key point here that we must recognize as parents: When do we see the children as part of the valley? We only see them when the people are worshiping God and standing before the Lord. We do not see them when they are attempting to fight the battle, make decisions, or are under attack. There is a layer of protection, a layer of innocence, that is placed around the children. I have found over the years that adults, specifically parents, are often guilty of allowing young children to be part of the valley, to carry the burden of the issue, and even to make decisions that are beyond their level of maturity, knowledge, and wisdom. If the valley is having a challenging impact on you, imagine the level of impact it may have on a child. Teach them to stand before the Lord, but guard them against the pressure of the valley.
How will you journey through the valley?
Mr. Euler has over 20 years of experience working in Christian Schools, 13 as a Head of School and is currently the Head of School at Word of God Academy, Shreveport, LA., a ministry of Word of God Ministries.
Website www.wogacademy.org
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