The Valley of Weeping

How many times in your life are you brought to a place of tears? What do you do and what can you do when you are there?
You can choose to use it as a time for growth in the Lord, or you can use it as an excuse to move far away from the Lord, because you blame Him for your troubles.
The word Baca means weeping.

• Life is full of heartaches and disappointments.   
• Life is full of tears. Life begins with crying. The first sounds a baby makes is to cry.
• Life ends with crying as we mourn for those who die. 
• Psalm 84 details the importance of the Christian being in the house of the Lord.
• We are in a day where people view the church as having no or little importance. The Bible clearly emphasizes the importance of God’s house. It is good to listen to online sermons, but there is something special when the church gets together for one common purpose of worshiping the Lord. 

How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young— Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My king, and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion. O, Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah O, God behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O, Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:1-12
   The church is a place of great beauty and is well beloved. The devil hates it and the Christian loves it. Ps. 84:1
   The church is a place of desire and worship. Ps. 84:2
   The church is a place of nesting and sacrifice. A wonderful place to raise your children and to give to the Lord His due! Ps. 84:3
   The church is a place of continuance and glory. Those who are faithful to God’s house continue to praise His wonderful name! Ps. 84:4
   The church is a place of blessing and strength. It is in the house of the Lord that we find strength to endure in the hard times! Ps. 84:5
It is of no small wonder that God introduces the Valley of Weeping with the importance of being steadfast in the house of the Lord.
THE FACTS OF THE VALLEY
It Is Temporary – (Ps. 84:6) - We are just passing through
It does not matter whether you are a Christian or not, you will walk through this valley at some point in your life. No one is immune to heartache and trouble in this life. The difference is that when you walk through it as a Child of God, Jesus walks it with you, and He carries you through the rough places.
There is no way around this valley, only through it.
Those hard times in life that bring pain or suffering do one of two things. They can either break you and make you a bitter person or make you into a better person.
Someone once said, “It’s not what happens that matters, it’s how you handle it.”
Yet, with all of life’s reasons for tears, there can be much joy for those who trust and believe God.
Tears Are Temporal …
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16:20
…But our Joy Will Be Eternal
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4 
The Valley Can Be A Blessing because it can be made into a well.  (vs. 6)  
Don’t make a well in the Valley of Weeping but make the Valley of Weeping a well! What happens when you fill a valley up with water? It creates a reservoir. This reservoir stores up wisdom and faith. Your testimony is stored in this reservoir—for access when you need it to encourage yourself or others.
You can pass through the valley of weeping and come out empty. Some people never see what the Lord is doing for them in this valley because they are too focused on their tears. We must learn to turn our times of sorrow and distress into wells from which we draw the waters of spiritual maturity and growth.
Those that have the strength, stamina, and character to stay with God will make it a well.   
A Valley is a dark and often dreadful place... A well is a refreshing and helpful place.
We will all pass through the Valley of Baca... But those that have the Blessing of God upon them MAKE IT A WELL!

• Moses traveled the Valley of Tears as he fled into the wilderness. He made it a well. He rebuilt his relationship with God and became the great leader of the Children of Israel.

 

• Abraham traveled the Valley of Tears as God led him to that mountaintop to sacrifice his only son upon the altar as a symbol of his faith and obedience to God. But God had a well prepared for Abraham and provided a ram for the sacrifice.

 

• Job traveled the Valley of Tears as Satan stripped away every one of God’s blessings of Job. Job dug a well in the desert spiritually speaking. He never lost his relationship with the Giver of all good things. Job drank from the well of the living water and God restored to him many times more than what he had lost.

 

• David traveled the “Valley of Tears” as he failed God so many times, even having an illegitimate son from another man’s wife and watching God take that son away from him because of his sin – but David made it a well asking God to forgive him (Psalm 51). God still called David a man after God’s own heart even through all of David’s failures.

 You Can Pass Through the Valley of Weeping And “Make It A Well.”  It’s a choice that is available to you.
A well in the Middle East was a precious thing! How then do you turn this valley of weeping into a well?

• You can make it a well by being faithful to God’s house – vs 4, 10
• You can make it a well by exercising faith in God – vs 12
• You can make it a well by continuing in God’s service – vs 5

The Find in The Valley
You Can Find the Strength of The Lord – vs 5, 7
Without weakness we would not appreciate God’s strength. There is something about being in God’s presence, and in His house, that strengthen the Christian.

• The more you come to God and desire to seek the Lord, the stronger you will become. The more you stay away and desire to stay away, the weaker you will become. There is nothing mystical or magical about that. It is just the truth.
• Try spending time every day with the Lord and see if that does not strengthen your inner, spiritual man. Try being faithful to the Lord and the church and see if you do not strengthen the inner man. It works.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 
You Can Find the Ears of the Of the Lord – vs 8: “O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob”
Without prayer we would not appreciate God’s answers
God hears us when we pray, and He will answer our prayers if our hearts are right with Him. The closer we will get to God, the more obvious the answers to our prayers become. Our heavenly Father wants each of us to experience the joy of praying. In fact, He has much more for us than we can even realize.
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. Jeremiah 29:12 
You Can Find the Presence of The Lord – vs 9
Without experiencing loneliness, we could not appreciate God’s Presence and the fellowship it brings to us.
God is here. He is not far off. He is close. During Christmas time what name do we refer to when talking about Christ? – Immanuel-God with us.
But the truth of the incarnation is not something that is a past event. The concept of Immanuel is a present reality. He is the “with-us God,” and He is here.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5 
But though God is always here, we often miss Him through our tears. We need to break down barriers that keep us apart. Our priorities, our desires, and above all our sins get in the way of our fellowship with God. These barriers prevent us from the enjoyment that God has for us.
You Can Find the Guidance of The Lord – vs 11 “For the LORD God is a sun”
Without loss of direction we would not appreciate God’s guidance – A classic example is a husband and a wife getting lost. The wife will say, stop and ask for directions, while the husband will balk and declare that they are not really lost!
Like the sun, the Lord provides comfort for the journey. Like the sun, the Lord lights our way, and warms our path, and gives guidance along the way. Just as the sun delights the hearts of men, so the Lord delights the hearts of His children and radiates their sight. He provides warmth and light for the journey.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalms 23:2-3 
You Can Find the Protection of The Lord – vs 11 “For the LORD God is a…shield”
Without danger we would not appreciate God’s protection. Not only is the Lord like the sun guiding us along the way, revealing Himself and His will to us, He is also like a shield that is raised to protect us. He is above us to give us what we need and around us to protect us on our journey through life.
 
We sometimes mistake God’s Protection for His lack of interest
During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his platoon. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would instantly search all the caves and he would be killed.
As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen." After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.
“Hah, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor." As the enemy drew closer, he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on.
Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall." It is in the valley of weeping that we realize that God is our protection, He is our shield.
When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walks through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2 
You Can Find the Grace, Glory and Goodness of The Lord – vs 11
Without trials we would not appreciate God’s grace.
Without failure we would not appreciate God’s glory.
Without suffering we would not appreciate God’s blessings
Here we have a two-fold promise to every child of God. We are promised His grace while we travel and His glory when we arrive at home. There is help for today and hope for tomorrow. God is simply promising to get us home safely!
We are reminded that the Lord delights in providing for the needs of His children. 
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. We must remember that we are His children. Luke 12:32 
We have the troubles and we have anxieties because we have forgotten to whom we belong! We are the Lord’s people and we are His responsibility (Matt. 6:24-33). He will bless your life. It is simply a matter of your learning to trust Him and rest in Him, especially when you are in a valley!
So, Why does God permit the Valley of Baca?
FOR OUR GOOD--Each time you are called upon to walk through trouble, you come out a better person. A person with more confidence and trust in the Lord.
Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs;
The early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; Each of them appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:6-7

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Audio message here:

VALLEY OF WEEPING