Ashley Horton | He’s With Us In The Valley Too

It’s funny where inspiration comes from, or what God might use to just send you a little message here or there.  When I received my newest happy mail from Illustrated Faith it included the Explore Stamp Set.  I’m not a big stamper, but the mountain image in the set kept calling my name, so I knew I wanted to use it.

I recently read The Road to Becoming by Jenny Simmons, former lead singer of Addison Road.  She talked about difficult moments that happened in the life of the band and her family, which led her to a place of feeling lost in God’s plan.  Spiritually, none of us want to be in the desert, the valley, the wilderness.  It’s a place we feel lonely, scared, trapped and forgotten.  We want to be back on the mountain ASAP, where God has something awesome in store for us.

But when I am in the valley, I tend to forget that God isn’t waiting for me on the mountain top.  He’s right there with me in the valley.  And if I spent more time listening to Him, than worrying about trying to get out of the valley, I might actually hear and learn something from God.  Our time in the valley can change us, grow us and teach us.  Psalm 23 is God’s comfort to us, when we are in the valley.  He is our Shepherd, our Restorer, and our Comforter.

Sometimes I think the mountain top can be more dangerous for Christians, than the valley.  The mountain top can become comfortable, and we forget to depend on God.  And that’s when a trip to the valley slaps us in the face!  If we are depending on God on the mountain top, the walk through the valley might not be so hard.  It doesn’t mean that there won’t be hard things to face, but knowing that Jesus is there with us, gives us hope of seeing the mountain top at the end of the journey.