Walking through the Valley of Sorrow

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

Psalm 84:6-7

One of the most difficult seasons of loss for me involved my daughter leaving for college after she graduated from High School. I missed watching her play volleyball, playing scrabble together, and hearing her play our 19th century upright piano. In truth, I started crying months before she ever left. Thankfully, this difficult season did not last forever. God helped me to walk through this valley of weeping by turning my place of sorrow into a spring. This happened through the “autumn rains” when I experienced the goodness of God again.

In Psalm 84, the Psalmist describes a time of deep sorrow and sadness for Israel. Yet after walking through that place of sorrow, it became a refreshing spring. The autumn rains came, and they were able to continue their journey of pilgrimage, growing even stronger and appearing before God again at one of the annual Jewish festivals held in Jerusalem.

There are times in life when we can become deeply grieved over the loss of a loved one, setbacks and disappointments, a crushed dream, societal injustices, and traumatic events. It has been said that life is a long series of losses. However, we do not have to stay in that place of weeping forever. We can walk through the valley of weeping by allowing God to turn our place of weeping into a refreshing spring.

In time, the autumn rains will clothe the valley of our weeping and we too will be refreshed in the Lord. Our part is to continue to set our heart on pilgrimage with God and to continue walking through the valley of lamentation. As we walk, the presence of Christ will come to us in a thousand different ways to strengthen us so that we will not faint. We will grow stronger as we encounter His presence and experience His joy deep within our soul.

This current season will not last forever. The autumn rains of God’s presence will meet us in the midst of our deepest lament and turn our valley of weeping into a refreshing spring.

Prayer:

Father God, help me to walk through the valley of weeping and experience the autumn rains. Cause my sorrows and deepest pain to become a place of refreshing so that I can continue to experience your goodness. I trust that you will clothe me with your power and grace and help me grow stronger so that I can continue my journey toward wholeness in Christ.

In Jesus Name,

Amen