One of the most difficult, profound lessons I believe we can learn in life is how God chooses to use suffering and difficulty to bring about His good purposes.

‘Walking through the valley’, as Psalm 23 puts it, is a central part of the human experience. We are not promised miraculous deliverance out of the situation, or an easy ride – only the comfort of His presence and guidance.

As we travel this route, well-trodden by every faithful believer down through the ages, so I believe the Lord graciously bears with our emotional ups and downs, our individual foibles and flaws, if we continue in trust and obedience. Coming to a place of helpless dependence, it is our blessing to learn far more about the Lord, His ways and His desires for us, than we ever could in times of ease and prosperity.

There is no doubt that the journey can be extremely hard. There are times on the way when our resources run out completely, and we wonder afresh at our own weakness and inability.

There are times when we lose our bearings and feel surrounded by thick darkness, prevented from hearing the Lord’s voice clearly, only able to edge forward slowly, inch by inch, by faith alone. We may have to totally abandon our ability to understand the circumstances, let alone comprehend His purposes in them. And there are times when we feel completely alone, despite others around us trying to understand.

Rich Provision

But in the midst of all this, we are given rich and wonderful gifts to see us through. For our provision, we are given the manna of God’s Word, our daily bread. For our hope, we are given the word of testimony: whether looking back at the Lord’s goodness to us ourselves, or considering his faithfulness through the ages to His people Israel and to all the saints. We are also given the encouragement and wisdom of fellow brothers and sisters.

And when all is grief and pain, for our comfort we are given the sweet encouragements of the Lord Jesus, who suffered beyond our comprehension in order that we might be restored to the wonderful provision of relationship with God, whose grace alone is sufficient to meet our needs.

Going through the valley of trouble brings pain, and inward groaning, and deep brokenness. But the provisions He has set aside for the journey are more than sufficient, the lessons we are able to learn on the way are manifold, and the overarching purpose for it all is glorious. In fact, when we transfer our gaze to the wonderful faithfulness of our Creator and Saviour, we begin to learn that He desires to transform the valley of trouble into a door of hope (Hos 2:15).

Draw near Him today, and He will draw near to you. He is the God who tears down as well as the God who builds, but we can rest in His promise to work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28).

Author: Frances Rabbitts