Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
There is an old Arab parable that says: All sunshine and no rain makes a desert." You'll be dried up if you never have any down times, dark times, or gloomy times in your life.
Even in our darkest valleys, our darkest days, God is there. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and Your staff comfort me." As you look in the Bible, the term "valley" also refers to all kinds of rough times in life.
There are some things we need to remember whenever we go through a tough time:
FIRST; VALLEYS ARE INEVITABLE
They will happen, so you might as well count on them. You have just come out of a valley, or you're in one right now, or you're probably headed toward one. Valleys happen throughout life -- one right after another. After every mountaintop, there is a valley. Jesus was very realistic about it. In John 16, He says, "In the world, you will have trouble." It's not a matter of if you will ever have trouble, but when. It's going to happen. You'll have difficulty, disappointment, and discouragement at times in your life. There will be times of suffering, sorrow, sadness, and sickness. There will be times of frustration, failure, and fatigue. They are going to happen. They are a normal part of life. Don't be surprised by it. Please don’t shoot the messenger. I am just being realistic about life.
THEY ARE UNPREDICTABLE
You can't plan them, time them, or schedule them. Valleys are always unexpected. They usually come at the worst time -- when you don't have time for them or when you're unprepared. Have you ever had a flat tire at a good time? They just happen. And usually when you least need them and it's most inconvenient. It might be nice if we could schedule our down times in life. You just can't plan life like that. Valleys come suddenly. They are unpredictable. Have you noticed how easily a good day can become a bad day? LET'S NOT FORGET...
VALLEYS ARE IMPARTIAL
No one is immune to them. No one is insulated from pain and sorrow. No one gets to skate through life problem-free. Everybody has problems. Problems, trials, difficulties, disturbances, downtimes, and depression doesn't mean you're a bad person. It means you're a real person. It just means you're a human being. It seems clear that good and bad things happen to all people. Valleys are impartial. They don't care how good or bad you are.
THE GOOD NEWS... VALLEYS ARE TEMPORARY
They have an end to them. They don't last. They are not a permanent location. David says, "Even though I walk through the valley." The valley is not something you stay in your entire life. It's something you go through -- a circumstance, a situation with a season to it. When you're in a valley, you often think it's a dead end, but it's not. It's like a tunnel -- there is a beginning and end. You go through the tunnel, and eventually, you're out of it and back in the light again. They don't come into your life to stay.
They come to pass. I Peter 1:6 "There is a wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here." He admits that sometimes you're going to go through tough times. It's going to be rough. Life is tough. You're going to have it.
Whatever you are experiencing today or may experience tomorrow, remember the Lord is with you. He has promised never to leave or forsake us. You are never alone, regardless of how you may feel. Look for Him in your valley. Song of Solomon 2:1. "I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys.