By Nicole Massie Martin
Then the Lord took hold of me and said, “Get up and go out into the valley, and I will speak to you there.” Ezekiel 3:22, NLT
We wrongfully despise the valleys of our lives. Valleys are places where darkness looms and everything has a shadow. Valleys are colder than mountaintops and the walls around us often prevent us from seeing what’s ahead. When valleys extend for days at a time, it seems like the sun has hidden its face and light is nothing more than a distant memory. Yet, there are seasons in our lives when God calls us to the valley because He has something specific to reveal. For Ezekiel, God called him to the valley so that the prophet would see God’s glory and follow His direction. That glory would prepare him for the next valley he would face when God’s glory would be revealed in bones becoming life. If God is calling you to the valleys of life, do not despise the experience. For it is there that God will speak to you and show you His glory in ways that could never be seen on the mountain top. Embrace the valley and find strength to climb the mountains ahead.
We come crying out to you now Lord from the valleys of our lives, those places where we may not feel the warmth of your presence or see your light guiding our paths. Lord we confess that there are times when we despise the seasons and places you would have us to tread, but we know that the steps of the righteous are ordered by you. So Lord, though we may be in the valley, we look up towards the hills from which cometh our help, knowing our help comes from you. When we can’t feel or see your hand in our lives, remind us of your presence. Remind us of the rod and staff that you said is there to comfort us as we walk through the valleys of our lives. For we are your sheep God and you are our shepherd Lord and it is in Jesus’ name that we ask these things. Amen.
Min. Nicole Massie Martin is the Minister of Young Adults and Singles at the Park Church.
