“As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of
springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools." (Psalm 84:6 NIV)
Notice what God does for those whose hearts are set on pilgrimage—on
seeking his face, on knowing him, on spending time with him: “As they
pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs…” Baca
in the Hebrew means “weeping.” You see, just because you love God and
want God and trust God, doesn’t mean () you won’t go through a Valley of
Baca. You may be in one today. The bottom’s fallen out, and you’re in a
place of sadness. Perhaps someone’s hurt you, someone’s walked out on
you, or someone on the job has done you wrong. Just because we’re
Christians doesn’t mean that we don’t get hurt, that we don’t weep.
But
if we have a heart after God, when we go through that valley—that place
of weeping, that difficult place in life’s journey, that place //where
others might fail and give up—we can actually experience springs of
living water /flowing up within us. And in the very place //where Satan
may have said of you or me, “I’ll kill him; I’ll kill her,” God says,
“No, you won’t kill my servant. I’m going to bless him, I’m going to
bless her, with springs of living water!” More than that, the Psalm
says that “the autumn rains [will] also cover [the Valley of Baca] with
pools.”
In the most difficult moments, God is going to send new joy and new
peace /so that we will “go from strength to strength” (v. 7). God says,
“Because you want me and seek me and desire me and you’re sincere,
you’re not going to stagger or limp across the finish line. No, you
will finish strong, because I will never forsake anyone //who puts their
trust in me!” The Lord promises to give so many blessings /to those //who
seek his presence, that they will form pools that will not only refresh us, but also refresh others who will benefit from God’s outpouring into our lives!
Read Psalm 84:5-12.