In Israel, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, there’s a canyon called the Valley of the Shadow of Death. In his day, King David probably traveled through it many times. Some of the canyons along the Jericho Road were narrow at the bottom and as tall as 800 feet. The only time you can see sunshine at the bottom is when it is mid-day and the sun is straight overhead. In the bible, valleys are often a metaphor for difficult times, times of darkness, despair, defeat or discouragement.
Psalm 23:4 says “…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me” New King James Version
Valleys are Part of Life
Valleys are inevitable. All of us just came out of a valley or we’re in the middle of one right now or we’re headed into another one, because that’s life. You can’t avoid valleys. Instead, you can count on them. Valleys can apply to your career, health, stress levels, finances, relationships and more.
Valleys Happen to Everybody
They’re impartial. Good things happen to bad who have made bad choices and bad things happen to people who have made good choices. We’re in a broken world so we have problems. Nobody is immune. Nobody is insulated from pain. Nobody sails through life problem free.
Valleys are Unpredictable
You can’t plan them. You can’t time them. Problems usually catch you off guard. In fact, your valleys and your problems often come at the worst time – when you don’t have time, when you’re unprepared and when it’s inconvenient. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could schedule all your valleys in life – when you’re caught up on your sleep, your health is good and nobody is bugging you?
When you know better what to expect when it comes to the valleys of life, you know better how to prepare for them. How can you build your mind, physical health, relationships TODAY in order to prepare for the inevitable valleys down the road?
Proverbs 27:1 says “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring forth”
