In this sermon, Dr. Charles Stanley discusses the inevitable valley experiences that all believers will face in their lives. He explains that these valleys are not the norm, but they are a necessary part of our spiritual growth. Stanley also discusses the three reasons why believers go through valley experiences: our own disobedience, the actions of others, and God’s divine purpose. He encourages believers to trust God through the valley experiences and to find comfort in His presence. Order this sermon today: https://store.intouch.org/purchase/th…
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[Music]
with a message from God’s word here’s
Charles Stanley
I’ll text for this message is probably
the most familiar passage in all the
Bible in fact I can remember when I was
a school kid that everybody had to
memorize this passage and usually you
will hear this passive scripture read at
almost every single funeral oftentimes
it is read with the bedside of someone
who is very very ill and I’m sure that
many of us have read the stories of men
in war who in times of great fear pulled
out their little pocket New Testament in
the back of which was the Psalms and
they began to read
out of fear Desiring courage and the
presence of God to read the Lord is my
shepherd I shall not want so would you
turn to the 23rd psalm and I want us to
read this Psalm this one particular
phrase and facet in here that I want us
to deal with and the title of this
message is the believer’s ballet
experiences the believer’s valley
experiences and if we all read out of
the same version we just all stand up
read it together but since we have many
different ones it probably wouldn’t make
a lot of sense so beginning in verse one
the Lord is my shepherd I shall not
want. he makes me to lie down in Green
Pastures he leads me beside Quiet Waters
he restores my soul
he guides me in the paths of
righteousness for his name’s sake
even though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death
I fear no evil for thou art with me thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me
thou prepares the table before me in the
presence of mine enemies thou has
anointed my head with oil my cup
overflows surely goodness and
loving-kindness will follow me all the
days of my life and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever
well as we think about this particular
Psalm I want to look at if you will at
the fourth verse and notice what he says
in this fourth verse even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of
death I fear no evil for thou art with
me thy rod and thy saith they comfort me
often times in the Bible Daly’s are
indications or symbols of times of
difficulty hardship trial suffering and
pain
and I want us to look at this passage in
the light of that title and that is the
believer’s valley experiences and I want
to say three things primarily and the
first one is this that Valley
experiences are inevitable in the life
of every believer Valley experiences are
inevitable in the life of every believer
for example if you have mountains you’re
going to have valleys you can’t have a
mountain peak without a Valley now most
of us would like for our Christian Life
to be from Peak to Peak wouldn’t we we
just like to go from Peak to Peak and
somehow be able to avoid the valleys but
you can’t have a mountain pig without
having a valley
topographically as far as that land is
concerned where you’ve got beautiful
mountains you’ve got valleys and the
same thing is true in the life of the
believer there are going to be those
Valley experiences in our life and if
you’ll notice in this passage how he
begins he says
the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want
and then what we have is this beautiful
description of the shepherd leading the
Sheep Into The Meadows on the hillsides
he says
he makes me the lie down in Green
Pastures leads me beside Quiet Waters
restores my soul guides me the paths of
righteousness and then notice verse 4 I
have it says it he says even though I
walked through the valley of the shadow
of death even though I do that which is
his way of saying it’s not the norm God
does not intend for us to live in The
Valleys or that’s our normal way of life
but there will be those seasons in our
life those times in our life those
experiences that become Valley
experiences times of difficulty hardship
trial pain rejection you name it they’re
there and so what he’s saying In this
passage here even though I walk through
these he says I will fear of No Evil
notice the full words he mentions in
that fourth verse he speaks of Shadows
of death of fear and of evil all four of
those indicate something to us about the
nature of the walk in the valley and so
when he says even though I walk in the
Valley of the shadow of death he’s
talking about hardship and pain and
suffering and trials and tribulations
and heartaches and burdens that we go
through in life that oftentimes we feel
hopeless oftentimes we feel helpless and
no matter what anybody does we feel
absolutely totally dependent upon God or
if that person is not a Believer they
have to do something else to find out
how to help themselves through the
valley experiences this is why the bars
are filled in the afternoons about five
o’clock they call that the happy hour it
certainly is not a happy hour if you
look around you’ll notice if you’re in a
restaurant they don’t look all that
happy but what they’re doing is trying
to escape the valley experiences that
they’re going through and think about a
person who is not a Believer a person
who doesn’t have God to turn to and then
when the bottom drops out then when they
go through some Valley experience in
life what do they do they have to drink
they have to take pills they have to do
something they have to have some kind of
experiences or Affairs of some sort in
order to get their mind off of the pain
off of the hurt off of the rejection off
of the loneliness off of those
Indescribable feelings which they are
trying to avoid so what he’s saying In
this passage is simply this
all of us are going through some of
these experiences in our life it may be
because of finances it may be because of
family it may be because of Health it
may be because of vocation or whatever
it might be there’s no such thing as
living in this life without daily
experiences one of the reasons for that
is because of the end result of those
Valley experiences which we’ll come to a
little bit later
you and I live in a world of sin and of
evil there are two forces fighting each
other and that is the forces of
righteousness and the forces of evil
likewise there are situations and
circumstances in life that thrust us
oftentimes into those Valley experiences
and so as I think about it one of the
things that I want to mention here and
discuss is the fact
that there are reasons and why is it we
end up in bad experiences now if you’re
wise this morning you’ll get your pencil
piece of paper out and you won’t miss a
lot of this because I want to tell you
if you’re sitting here today and you’re
single I’ve never been through one of
those then my dear friend get ready
because there is no such thing as
walking on a mountain peak without
hitting the valley there are ballots in
their life and their ballots there for
several reasons so let’s talk about
first of all why we go through these
difficult trying times that are so
painful so heart-wrenching and so
unbelievably uh
causing us to feel so helpless well one
of the reasons is this and that is the
Sheep Strays away from the shepherd for
example if the Sheep Strays away from
the shepherd they’re going to stray
usually in the wrong places and so when
we choose to be disobedient to God we
choose to transgress this law to violate
his principle what happens is we end up
in the valley so one of the reasons we
get there is we get there by our own
decisions a second reason we may end up
in a valley experience is because of the
actions of some other people or someone
else
for example a fellow said to me this
week he was telling me about his
vocation and he was doing his job he was
faithful he was well respected in his
particular vocation doing a good job and
because of his conviction and because he
felt like he had to make a statement of
where he was what he could and could not
do they fired him just like that with no
warning so suddenly he found himself in
the valley he had a family to take care
of no job and no income so oftentimes
it’s because of someone else’s decisions
or their actions and then there’s a
third reason we get in the valley and
that’s this that’s because the shepherd
leads us into the valley you see the
reason we get into these Valley
experiences are not always because of
what we do or what someone else does
sometimes it is God’s design for our
life now as a result of that what he
does he leads us into a place and leads
us the way he desires to get us where he
wants us to be one way is the way most
of us would like to go in light when we
see a difficulty what we’d like to do is
we would like to walk around the pain
and the hurt and the suffering and the
trial and the tribulation and rejection
and get there that’s one way and you can
get there that way sometime
but sometime when the Good Shepherd the
Bible calls him is leading us here’s
what he does he knows he could lead us
around that way that’s no problem with
him he knows that’s the path around that
way but you see what he has in mind is a
purpose over here for our life and
because that purpose is so clear and
that destination is so clear to him he
chooses God in his grace and goodness
and love chooses not to lead us the easy
path but to lead us into the valley of
difficulty hardship trial pain and
intense suffering like we have never
experienced before we get to the same
place but this is the most difficult way
sometimes it’s a deep dark treacherous
Valley notice what he said he said
valleys of Shadow death fear evil these
things indicate something about the
difficulty of that Valley
sometimes we’re in the valley because
God in his wisdom chooses to lead us the
most difficult way to arrive at the
destination for which he wants us and so
when he says here that even though we
walk through the valley of the shadow of
death even though we do it and I want
you to remember also what he says In
this passage and if you’ll notice two
things here and sometimes What God Says
what he doesn’t say is as powerful as
what he does say look at that verse he
does not say this he doesn’t say even
though I may walk through the valley
even though I might do it no even though
I walk because friend it is inevitable
that experiences are absolutely
inevitable in the life of every single
person
notice something else he doesn’t say he
doesn’t say even though I even though I
run rush and hurry through the valley
now that’s the way I like to get through
them I want to run through them quickly
in fact the truth is I’d like to put on
the blindfold and just run through it
right quick and not hear anything and
see anything and feel anything just get
through that guy just get me through
that God but you know what he said even
though I what walk through the valley
and that may not not might even though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of
death and so
when he makes this statement what he’s
simply saying is this it’s going to
happen and I remember meeting a lady one
time went to her home and her sister was
there and her mother and she was dying
of uh some disease I’ve forgotten
exactly what it was I remember what she
told me she said you know all of my life
I thought everybody had it the way I had
it and she drove the finest automobile
she had plenty of money everything in
the world anybody could ever imagine and
here she was in her late 30s dying and
she died about two weeks later and she
said you know I guess my life was such
that I just thought everybody had it the
way I had it
no they don’t
and what I discovered is in the last few
weeks there are more people hurting with
more pain and more suffering and more
hurt than I’ve ever discovered in my
life
because all of a sudden when somebody
feels that somebody else is hurting then
they somehow feel the freedom and the
Liberty to say you know I’m hurting too
and I want to tell you about my hurts
well these Valley experiences are a part
of every single believer’s life and
there is no way to escape them sometimes
we try but there’s no way and so when he
says even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death I will
fear no evil thou art with me
he is giving us the most important part
of this whole passage of scripture this
is the most important part because if
you’ll think about it for a moment he
says the Lord is my shepherd I shall not
want wonderful
and he says he’s going to take us to
Green Pastures Quiet Waters
restore our soul and guide us in the
paths of righteousness but you know what
suppose you read that whole Psalm and he
talks about preparing a table before us
and
head being annoyed with oil and kept
running over suppose he left out this
part
thou art with me
if he left out that part
the heart and the core of this Psalm
would be missing because that’s what
this Psalm is all about it is a Psalm of
comfort
and of assurance and of reminding of us
that we’re going to go through those
experiences of life that are so
difficult and painful and hard that the
only thing we have is God and so I just
want to say to you today that no matter
what experience you’re going through
whatever it might be ask yourself the
question God why am I here number one
and secondly
Lord what is your goal and so I want to
say this two or three times in this
message if you think you’re going
through a valley or you think you’re
just getting ready to head into it and
sometimes you don’t walk into it you
drop into it you don’t just sort of find
your way from The Meadows and the
mountain down to the valley suddenly
you’re from the mountain peak all the
way to the depths of the valley and what
you have to ask is father
what is your goal for this Valley
experience in my life and father how am
I to respond to this Valley experience
in my life those are always the wise to
question to ask number one father what
is your goal and second the Lord how am
I to respond to this Valley experience
so the first thing I want you to notice
here and that is that Valley experiences
are absolutely inevitable in the life of
every person it doesn’t make any
difference how old you are one of these
days you’re coming through them make
sometimes how rich you are how poor how
educated or uneducated where your status
is in life Valley experiences difficulty
hardships trials suffering pain it is
always going to be times and seasons in
our life the second thing I want you to
notice that’s very evident here and that
is this and that is that daily
experiences are painful times in our
life
painful times in our life look at this
passage look at look at the words in
this verse he says
the shadow of death
fear Evil all of these indicate
something’s going on now
these four words indicate something of
the nature of the valley notice he said
Green Pastures Quiet Waters guided paths
restored refreshed soul and even though
I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death I will fear no
evil
you see this isn’t just some little pain
you get with a toothache or a bad cold
we’re talking about intense kind of pain
that happens when a person goes through
a valley as I say whatever the reason it
may be something of your own doings it
may be something that somebody else has
caused or it may be that God has chosen
to lead us through that Valley whatever
it might be the pain is still going to
be there and so when I look at that and
think about the kind of pain we’re
talking about here
and what he says when he speaks about
values that indicates something of a
shadow of something of uncertainty when
he talks about death something of
Destruction something that is
threatening when he talks about fear
anxiety and Dread and when he talks
about evil a threatenings uh Temptations
all that go along with that and they’re
those periods and seasons of time for
some reason God may allow it or it is
our own doings here’s what we have to
think about we’re not talking about
little little pains a little hurts here
and there we’re talking about the kind
of intense pain that is Indescribable
we’re talking about the kind of hurt
that you cannot describe to someone else
we’re talking about the kind of
hopelessness and helplessness that words
cannot express deep dark valleys that he
would oftentimes lead us through and so
we’re talking about a degree of distress
that is more than just a little distress
a deep degree of tension and feeling it
in your whole physical body as well as
your emotion and your spirit everything
on that gets inside of you gets tested
and that is there seems to be some kind
of awesome invasion of your innermost
being your innermost Spirit the deepest
part of you and When You Weep you don’t
weep from your from your eyes You Weep
from your spirit deep down inside there
is a pain that is Indescribable in some
walks in the valley and so when he says
yea though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death we’re not talking
about some little testing of the faith
that ends up today and it’s just a
matter of time maybe a few days that’s
all over yea though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death
and the reason he put that word in it
because he wanted to emphasize the
intensity of the pain and the and the
alarming threat that we face when we
walk through that Valley even though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of
death now there are a couple of things
about this Valley I want us to look at
and first of all I want to mention the
fact of the length of that ballot
sometimes the valley is short sometime
it’s long for example here’s the person
who goes to the doctor and
the doctor says you have a terminal
illness
and two weeks later a month later they
found out it was a wrong diagnosis and
so that was a short-lived Valley praise
the Lord
or sometimes a person like the one I
mentioned a few moments ago they lose
their job and they get have no prospects
for a couple of weeks or three weeks it
looks like it’s going to be a long drawn
out process and out of the blue somebody
calls them says I’m looking for somebody
who has your qualifications they’re out
of the valley they would be great if all
valleys were that short but they’re not
and sometimes the doctor says to the
person you have cancer
and the type that you have
there’s no cure for it one month
two months six months nine months one
year 18 months two years the hurt the
pain the suffering all the anger that
they go through all the guilt all the
anger to a God all the emotions that
crop up in someone’s life who goes to
that kind of awful experience two years
two and a half years three years their
family watches them die a day at a time
that isn’t a short valley
and that’s no painless Valley that is a
deep dark painful ballet that only a
person who’s been there understands
and my friend before you walk up to
someone else instead of them well I’m
just praying to you and I understand be
sure
you do understand where they are because
you see I’m not sure anybody understands
where someone else is until they’ve been
where they are
and even then I want you to remember
something that God does not work in any
two people’s lives the same way no two
valleys are the same for anyone now that
is a similar but no two people’s values
are the same and so when you and I want
to console someone we have to be sure
when we say I know what you’re going
through I know how you feel be sure you
know how they feel and what they’re
going through because you’ve been there
there are some values that are very long
very painful very dark very treacherous
little hope there are some values that
are short we would all like for them to
be short but since we’re not sovereign
and God is he’s the one who determines
how long and how short they are and what
is it that determines how long and how
short they are first of all his purpose
for allowing us to be in the valley and
secondly our response to being in the
valley
but there’s a second thing about the
valve not on the length of time but the
second thing is that is the difference
in the depth of that Valley some valleys
are very very deep listen to what he
says even though I walk to the Valley of
the shadow of death
some valleys are very deep and very dark
now I’ve had the wonderful privilege of
traveling lots of places and and not
climbing to the top of but climbing up
to a comfortable place in enough
mountains and to be able to see at
distances from the peaks of some
mountains
I love the mountains and I love the
valleys
some valleys are beautiful some valleys
are very deep and some are dark and
treacherous
and when we talk about the depth of the
valley again it depends on what God’s up
to in our life
and when he talks about yea though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of
death
that indicates that there are some
valleys that are very very threatening
to us that set off alarms in US those
values that we have to walk through very
very carefully that we make every step
the right step that we have to have
wisdom the wisdom of the Good Shepherd
to guide us through it step by step
because on different occasions people in
Dallas traveling
take the wrong step fall hurt themselves
and sometimes break a leg or break a arm
or whatever it might be
there’s some ballots that are very dark
and very treachers the same thing is
true in the spiritual walk there are
some that are very dark and very
treacherous and we have to be extremely
careful and I think all of us could
probably think about some ballots that
we’ve been through difficult trying
times painful times in our life
and as I thought about this week in
preparing this message things in the
past of my life that I thought were dark
valleys and deep times of of heartache
and trouble and trial and pain
then I thought about something that I
read some time ago that someone had
written about the fact that the older
you get that the older you become in
life and the longer you live the more
difficult your trials become I remember
thinking about that well it looks like
to me the longer you live and the more
faith that you have the simple adult to
be and so you know it ought to be
sometime out there where they don’t get
quite as difficult
and then I thought about my mom and I
watched her die a day at a time and I
thought that was the deepest darkest
Valley that I’d probably ever go in my
life because I watched her day by day
just sort of dwindle away until finally
the Lord took her that was a very
painful Valley for me extremely painful
I hurt I wept I cried and I cried and I
cried I heard on the inside I heard on
the outside
and no matter what anyone said to me
only God could comfort me and at times
that was very difficult
and then
I stepped into another Valley
and I want to tell you my friend
there is no pain
and no hurt
to equal this Valley
there is no intensity of pain that I
could ever describe
that can describe the pain when you are
torn away
from something that you love very very
dearly someone that you love with all of
your heart
there is no way to describe the
intensity of that pain
and so when somebody talks about I
understand how you feel I’m not sure any
of us can fully understand how anybody
else feels in certain Valley experiences
because they’re all different and all of
our circumstances are different
but he says yea though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death
because there’s some things in this life
that are far worse than physical death
and that is emotional pain
that wrenches you and tears at you and
almost destroys everything inside of you
there is a pain more intense than I can
describe
I thought I knew what pain was like but
I’m sure that I didn’t and therefore I
would not say even now that I know what
it’s like because there must be some
pain even greater than that I don’t know
what it is may God spare me of it at
least for a while and I think about
he says the Lord is my shepherd I shall
not want.
well I have to ask myself the question
Lord if you’re my shepherd why would you
lead me through this Valley
yet I know that he’s an omniscient
Shepherd all wise and he always does the
right thing and what he said in Romans 8
28 is always true that our God is
engineering our circumstances and
directing our path in such a way that
will bring honor and glory to his name
upon two conditions which I’ll come to
later
and so one thing I know for sure about
the ballet that because he said
thou art with me this much I know there
is always a limitation on the depth of
that Valley and this is why I think what
the Old Gentleman said when he said that
our values oftentimes get deeper he
didn’t put in those words that’s what he
meant it’s because when you and I are 21
we can we can handle
a sort of a shallow Valley
when we’re 41 we can go a little deeper
when we’re 61
we can go a lot deeper
and since I’m not 81 yet
I don’t know how deep it can get in the
80s but I can imagine it could get
extremely deep
and dark and treacherous
and lonely and hard and painful
and indescribable
but this much I know there is a limit
and the same Jesus who said
I am the Good Shepherd
and I love the Sheep the Sheep know me
and I know them and they follow me the
same one who said my sheep hear my voice
and I know them and they follow me and I
give unto them eternal life and they
shall never perish neither shall anyone
pluck them out of my hand the father and
I are one this much I know that in the
valley no matter how treacherous and
painful and difficult nobody can take
your hand out of the hand of the Good
Shepherd because you see in the valley
you’re not not holding on to him for
dear life the Good Shepherd
has taken us by the hand and it doesn’t
make any difference
it doesn’t make any difference if I let
go
thank God he never lets go it doesn’t
make any difference how dark it is how
fearful it is whatever alarms set off in
your soul how absolutely intense the
pain and how much the tears he never
lets go he says Thou Art with me thy rod
and thy staff they comfort me
what a wonderful phrase in that song
without it it wouldn’t be anything with
it it’s everything and so when we think
about the depths of it it doesn’t make
any difference how deep it is as long as
I walk through it hand in hand with a
Good Shepherd who is the Lord Jesus
Christ why is that why do I not need to
be afraid for this reason if you’ll turn
to John chapter 10 he said it better
than I could John chapter 10 is the
passage of scripture that is
the Good Shepherd discourse about Christ
listen to what he says in this 10th
chapter and this is why when he says yea
though I walk through the valley the
shadow of death I will fear no evil why
here’s the reason because the Good
Shepherd who is walking with us said
this
verse 11 I am the Good Shepherd the Good
Shepherd lays down his life for the
Sheep
verse 14 I am the Good Shepherd and I
know my own and my own know me
in verse 27 as we quoted my sheep hear
my voice I know them and they follow me
and I give eternal life to them and they
shall never perish and no one shall
snatch them out of my hand
my father who’s given them to me is
greater than all and no one is able to
snatch them out of my father’s hand the
father and I want you know why you and I
can walk through the valley without fear
because this I know if Jesus Christ
loved me enough and loves you enough to
lay down his life at the cross 2000
years ago that was the ultimate test of
his love
and if he laid down his life two
thousand years ago I don’t have to worry
about him holding my hand all the way
through the valley so he says yea though
I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death I will fear no evil but thou
art with me now the valley experiences
he describes it here one thing is so
evident is that the Good Shepherd Is
Watching Over Us and caring for us all
the way through that walk
sometimes that walk is probably very
slow
because it is treacherous sometimes that
walk may not be quite so slow it depends
on what his purpose is and what he’s
trying to achieve in our life but he’s
the one who’s overseeing it and he’s the
one who has said the key statement thou
art with me thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me because the Sheep are seeing
the rod that to beat off the wild wild
animals the staff of the crook to reach
out and pull the Sheep back when he’s
getting too close to the edge all that’s
symbolical of his caring now the
question comes how do we oftentimes
respond and what is our reaction when we
get in the bell and people respond in
different ways
and so you must not ever judge somebody
else’s response because first of all you
don’t know the intensity of their pain
second you don’t know what God’s purpose
is in their life and so oftentimes we’re
quick to judge someone else’s response
to the valley and how they’re going
through that Valley and what’s happening
to them and you know most everybody has
advice for anybody who’s hurting about
anything and everybody’s got advice well
I do this and I do that you ought to do
this and you ought to do that and the
thing you have to listen to is what God
is saying and what does God want you to
do
and so here’s what happens here’s how
people respond sometimes they respond in
panic oh my God what shall I do now I
want you to listen carefully what I’m
going to say because I’m going to say
one of the most important parts of this
message in a moment sometimes people
respond in panic sometimes they’re
overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty
and discouragement and despair and
sometimes people come to the place of
committing suicide
we get lots of letters from people who
are about to commit suicide and listen
to the program and God speaks to their
heart changes their mind one of the
reasons I don’t read very many of those
because of the impact that it has upon
people oftentimes they will say now I
want to be sure you did say that I can
be forgiven
well you can be forgiven indeed but my
friend you short circuit your life you
lose your reward and the tragedy of
suicide you do not want to experience
the ultimate of that tragedy
and there are many people who come to
Valley experiences and when they get to
some point in the valley and they look
back and they don’t see a way out and
they look ahead and they don’t see any
way out and they don’t have the wisdom
to know if they’re a believer that Jesus
Christ is holding their hand all the way
through that Valley think about the
unbeliever who is in the valley
experiences of life and no God no
Shepherd what in this world do you do in
the deepest darkest valleys when there
is divorce when there’s separation when
there’s a loss of a child when there’s
an accident and there’s sudden death
what happens when you suddenly find
yourself in the valley and you don’t
have a Shepherd no one to hold your hand
no one to look to no one to listen to
your prayers no one to call upon no one
you can be certain about no one that you
know who genuine truly loves you enough
to have laid down his life already what
do those people do
they run to every human thing possible
trying to get something to quieten that
inner turmoil silence the silence the
shout and the alarm of their pain
something that will so fog their mind
and Cloud their thinking that they don’t
have to think where they are and what
they have to face that’s what they do
listen to what he says the Lord is my
shepherd I shall not want listen the
same Shepherd that leads us in the
valleys the same Shepherd is the one who
leads us on the mountainsides whether it
is still water in the creeks and the
streams good grass place the rest
refreshment time he’s the same one
but if you don’t have him and you don’t
know him what do you do
there’s Panic there’s turmoil there’s
Strife there’s the threat of suicide
ending it all despair disillusionment
hopelessness helplessness and all kinds
of responses not a single one of which
is the right one now
what I want to share with you at this
point is very very important
you hear me say to you oftentimes if
you’re going to come to church and
you’re going to spend 35 45 50 minutes
listening to a sermon it is foolish to
sit here and spend that much time
listening to a sermon and walk away with
nothing
to carry with you you’re not going to
come to this place and listen to 45
minutes of a message without something
that will not enrich your soul deepen
your relationship to God and challenge
you that much I know but now whether you
carried away with you or not is
something else and this is why I say if
a message is worth listening to it’s
worth writing down those areas of the
message that relate to your life are
something that relates to someone else
or something that you feel may you may
need let me give an example you know why
people panic in the valley here’s the
reason the reason people panic in the
valley and the reason they just lose it
all is because they walk into these deep
dark Valley experiences of life with no
basic biblical theology
all of their Christian experience is
hype hype praise the Lord in its own
emotion if I feel him he’s there if I
don’t feel him he’s not there and it’s
praising the Lord for this and praising
the Lord for that I’m for praising God I
believe in worshiping him and praising
him indeed I do but my friend if you’re
a Christian Life is only a matter of
emotion and you listen to sermons and
you just walk away hoping you’ll
remember something maybe
the message is going to make you feel
good they don’t challenge you they don’t
enrich your mind challenge your mind and
make you think and cause you to want to
apply those truths to yourself and you
take the time to write them down and and
to be able to apply them to your life
and look for those experiences in life
that will help you apply those
principles I can tell you when the
valley experience comes and you don’t
have a basic theology to live by you’re
going to panic you’re going to look to
the world to find something here’s what
you’re going to do more than likely
you’re going to find unwise ungodly
counsel and what that’s only going to do
is deepen your Valley and prolong your
walk in that Valley
and that’s why it’s so very important
you jot down the principles you write
down those things that have meaning that
these experiences are inevitable in
every person’s life and while we get in
the valleys and how we respond and how
we should not respond because we’re all
going to be there
and so when he says yea though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of
death I will fear no evil why because
the psalmist knew God now you see if I’m
going to respond right in The Valleys I
need to know him if I don’t know God I’m
not going to respond right if I know him
that means I understand something of his
ways how does God operate something of
his principles hear the things that
guide us in our Christian walk something
of his promises and not just know them
something as far as something being able
to quote but know them and experience
how is it the truths of God become a
part of our very being not listening to
sermons that becomes a part of my mind
the truths and the principles and the
ways of God become a part of my life
when do they become a part of my life
here’s when they become a part of my
life when God allows me or thrusts me
into the valley then I have to draw from
what I know then I have to apply what
I’ve heard then I have to test what I
believe then I have to put the blowtorch
to the very basic things that have
brought me thus far in my life and what
happens when you have a basic theology
when you have an understanding of God
when you believe his scriptures when you
know the promises when you understand
the principles then in that Valley I’m
telling you friend everything you
believe is going to get tested one way
or the other
and if your beliefs have never been
tested then more than likely you don’t
have much belief if you don’t have a
basic belief system that can stand the
test and stand the pressure and stand
the pain and stand the turmoil and stand
the criticism and stand the persecution
then my friend does something missing in
your spiritual walk
it is walking to the valley with a basic
biblical theology what I believe based
upon what the word of God teaches what
the word of God says the principles the
promises that us that fill this book
from one end to the other that’s why a
light frothy relationship to God won’t
work it may work all right as long as
everything is going your way but when
you get in the valley and the intensity
of the pain is such that you cannot
handle it and the hopelessness and the
helplessness is so absolutely
overwhelming and the days are dark and
there seems to be absolutely nothing at
the other end and you can’t go back
you’d better have a belief system
that’s tested and tried
that’s why here’s what God does that’s
the reason he gives us shallow valleys
when we know a little bit
and deeper Valas when he’s taught us
more and deeper Bell is when he’s told
us more but listen to me carefully if
you’ve had the privilege
if you’ve had the privilege of knowing
more back here
but you ignored it and knowing more here
and you weren’t interested and having
the truths that I know that you’ve had
and you’ve paid little heed to it my
friend the ballots are going to get
deeper and deeper listen to me carefully
they’re going to get deeper and deeper
no matter whether you take the time to
apply the principles or you don’t the
difference is that those who have a
Biblical theology are sustained and
those who don’t are not
and that’s why it’s so very important
that you and I understand this book and
we understand the word because no matter
what you and I face there are people in
the word of God who’ve been there and
you can start off with it’s Abraham or
Joseph or David Moses they’ve all had
those Long Valley experiences Moses 40
years on the backside of the desert in
the valley
but they understood who God was
now Moses had to learn the hard way
and that’s why God kept him 40 years
until he absolutely ripped everything
out of him that he had nothing here he
was a smelly Shepherd and then God spoke
to him again
but he had all those past failures in
his life to go back to and God remind
him that he is God and Moses you’re not
I don’t know where you may be in the
valley but I can tell you this my friend
the wisest thing you can do is to get
into this book
read it pray over it listen to the
messages of God’s servants as long as
they’re sticking with the book listen to
the messages of God’s servants write
down the truth apply them to your heart
look at how they’re being applied in
other people’s lives look at the
consequences of Disobedience those are
the things that establish you so that
when you get in the valley the Lord
Jesus Christ who holds your hand every
step of the way will keep reminding you
because you remember what he says he
says he sent the Holy Spirit in order
that he may bring to our remembrance
those things that he wants us to
remember that you and I can apply to our
heart those basic truths that anchor us
and steady us and keep us firm and solid
and stable in the most difficult trying
times of our Christian walk
well that’s the third thing that I want
you to notice here about these Valley
experiences first of all we said they’re
absolutely essential they’re going to be
a part of our life they’re inevitable
secondly they’re painful and thirdly
they are profitable Valley experiences
are profitable in our life
now that doesn’t mean that because
they’re profitable there’s not going to
be any pain yes there’ll be a pain even
even though they’re profitable the pain
and the degree of pain may be the same
but they’re profitable for a couple of
reasons first of all
there are times of Discovery for us
discovery of what we discover what God
is like in the valley in a way that we
will never discover on the mountain peak
there are things about God there are
aspects of God they’re ways of God that
you and I will discover in the deepest
darkest treacherous most painful Valley
experiences we will never even get a
glimpse of on the mountain peak
that’s just the way life is and God
reveals himself in the valley in a way
that he does not reveal himself on the
mountain peak so we’re going to get a
glimpse of God we’re going to see him in
ways that we will not see him otherwise
also as I think about what we discover
about God we discover an intimacy
and the sense of quietness he says that
he will lead us into places of rest
listen to me carefully in the deepest
darkest blackest moment of your Valley
experience
there can be the most overwhelming
Indescribable sense of peace and rest
and quietness and confidence that only
hand in hand with the Son of God could
you ever experience
the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want
for peace and quietness and Tranquility
even when the darkest
the deepest and the most painful walk is
a part of your experience and so he says
here we’re going to discover something
notice he says he says Thou prepares the
table performing the presence of my
enemies anointing my head with oil he’s
talking here about
providing our needs in the darkest
deepest most painful part of the valley
experience and speaking of oil for
example the shepherd would take oil and
rub it on those skinned places where the
Sheep injured themselves
and he’s simply saying that he’s going
to be our comforter he’s going to be a
Healer and the healing process listen
carefully when you get in the valley
when you and I begin to respond
correctly the healing process begins
even in the most intense pain The
Healing Begins even then God doesn’t
wait to start the healing process when
we’re out on the mountain peak somewhere
that’s not the way God operates and so
he says he anoints us with oil our cup
runs over he is providing every single
thing that we need
we discover something about ourselves
not only about God and there’s a million
things about God you and I discovered
but we discover something about
ourselves now listen it’s real easy to
sit in church or sit at home everything
is going your way and say I believe in
God yes indeed I do Blessed assurance
Jesus is mine oh what a poor taste of
Glory Divine Hallelujah Amazing Grace I
believe all those songs I believe the
Bible from cover to cover well fine now
let me ask you this
when the pain hits and the hopelessness
is overwhelming then what do you believe
you see we discover things about
ourselves in the deepest darkest values
experiences we discover how much real
courage we have we discover the degree
of our faith we discover the level of
our faith we discover if our self-image
is based on him or in somebody else or
what other people think we discover the
true nature of our character we discover
whether we can really endure or not we
discover what the real
character is really all about when we go
through those things it cause us to be
absolutely helpless and we can do
nothing about and all we can do is
depend upon God we discover things about
ourselves
and maybe some of those things we
oftentimes boast about when the pain
becomes intense enough all of a sudden
there is no boasting
and what we discover we discover what
our real value system in life is all
about we discover what the real
priorities in life are about and what
happens listen careful and this is so
important
you see here’s the reason we make such
tremendous discoveries in the deepest
darkest valleys of pain here’s the
reason
because God has a way
of increasing the pain level to the
point
that it is so painful nothing else in
life matters nothing matters absolutely
nothing matters you see God knows how to
wrench from us everything we depend upon
and that’s really what he’s up to in the
valley experience ultimately this is his
purpose his ultimate purpose is to do
what
to rinse from us emotionally
all physically or materially every
single solitary thing so that Jesus
Christ has no competition as Lord in our
life there are no challenges to his Rule
and to his Reign and his lordship in our
life and so what does he do he just
strips us up everything that we cling to
that we lean upon and he has a very
painful way of doing that
I’m not blaming all pain on God I’m
simply saying there’s some things he
allows and some things he initiates
whether he allows them or whether he
initiates them it doesn’t make any
difference God’s ultimate goal I think
about people who are so extremely
wealthy and their whole life is wrapped
up in money that’s what they talk about
that is the subject of their
conversation they begin their
conversations that it’s the only thing
that matters in life
I tell you my friend the valley
experience will come because God is not
going to allow his children to cling to
depend upon rely upon be wrapped up in
soaked up in absolutely overwhelmed by
and allow things that become gods in
their life he said what does he do he
throws us into the valley experience to
rent from us tear from us every single
solitary thing that challenges his place
of preeminence in our life
and sometimes those are things that we
don’t we wouldn’t even think of as being
a challenge to God but you see and this
is difficult for us to understand he
wants us to lean on nothing but himself
no one but himself we are Sons and
Daughters of God walking through Valley
experiences learning to rely upon him
and him only and so what does he do he
removes every single solitary thing but
himself
and while that is painful and difficult
for us
it ends up being
glorifying to God
because it forces us to himself and we
learn things about ourselves
we would not learn any other way and he
brings us to a sense of dependence upon
him and that’s why when we come through
that painful period and we realize that
he is it and he is only it and there is
no other it but him
then what happens even in the valley
Tranquility calmness quietness of spirit
so there
there are discoveries discoveries about
God about ourselves and discovers about
God’s purpose in our life for example
some of us know what God’s purpose in
our life is and some people do not and
it’s interesting to me how many young
men who’ve come to our fellowship
students at Georgia Tech they came to
school their parents paid their way they
they were going to be Engineers
administrators and you name it all of
these things and then something happens
in their life bottom drops out they get
thrust into the valley and what happens
it’s in the valley when God begins to
tear them loose from everything
whatever is going on in their life it
isn’t always a valley that they choose
it is not valid for example that God
necessarily institutes or initiates but
it is a valley
sometimes it’s the divorce of their
parents sometimes it is a financial
collapse in their parents they can’t pay
their way through anymore sometimes it’s
difficult in the hardship that they’re
going through whatever it may be and
then they come to say I don’t know what
God’s doing in my life and ultimately
through this deep dark treacherous
Valley you know what their conclusion is
God’s been calling me to preach and I
resisted it because I want to go out
there and make a lot of money and told
God I’d give a lot of money to the
missionaries that is the devil’s lie how
many people he’s told that one to I’ll
give a lot of money to Mission the
missionaries the mission work Lord if
you listen help me make millions of
dollars I’ll give it all to you I’m here
to tell you if all the people who’ve
ever said that made their meds and gave
it to God we’d have money running over
and trying to figure out what in the
world to do with it because that’s not
true and God doesn’t fall for that lie
at all
but how many of those young men in the
minister today on the mission feel why
because God sent them in the valley and
it was in the valley when he stripped
everything and all hope away from
everything that he got their attention
and they could say oh is that what
you’ve been calling me to do God yes yes
I do see that
and sometimes in that Valley experience
he simply affirms his purpose in your
life and what happens is that God just
enriches you and deepens you and
strengthens you and makes what you’ve
been doing even more effective but let
me say one other thing
that it is not only a time of Discovery
it is a time of preparation now
preparation isn’t easy think about this
he puts us in the valley and remember
this God never listen he never allows us
to go through the valley or never
initiates the valley experience unless
he has a purpose in mind on the other
side of that Valley God has a work has a
purpose has a plan that’s why the valley
is never a destination not in the battle
not walking around but through the
valley yea though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death I will
fear no evil not in it but through it he
has a purpose in mind
now what is he doing in the valley he’s
preparing us for the purpose whatever it
is so what does he do he uses those
tools we don’t like
for example sometimes it is humiliation
sometimes
as he says it is refinement
cleansing
purifying renewing in the valley
experienced all the pain and all the
hurt we feel have an overwhelming
awesome glorifying Divine Purpose behind
it all
that’s why I’m going to come to the last
point in just a moment that’s why the
next point is so very absolutely
essential because whatever his purpose
is and whatever he is allowing to go on
what makes my Valley experience
profitable or a great time of painful
loss is how respond now listen
there are two ways to respond negatively
we either get thrust in the valley or we
get in there because of our own
circumstances we’re in the valley how do
I respond rebel against God God why did
you allow this in my life
look for a way out try to find some
little offshoot of the path up some
Creek in some little slight better
thinking there may be a way out of the
valley
so we Rebel
we want to run away
we want to blame somebody else for being
in the valley
blaming others is always a sign of our
spiritual immaturity it doesn’t make any
of us what happens how we get there
ultimately God allows us to be in the
valley and so we complain we have pity
parties we moan and we groan and we and
we blame God we blame other people and
my friend as long as you’re doing that
here’s what’s happening you know what
it’s like it’s like God just stops
within the valley he’s still got you by
the hand but he just stops or he slows
down the pace you know why
because he’s refining and purifying and
cleansing and building character and
changing and altering and doing what
preparing us for what he has in mind
what’s the proper response
I said it once before on purpose and I
want to say it at the end of this
message
here’s the proper response it doesn’t
make a difference what the nature of the
valley is it doesn’t make a difference
how short or how long it is it doesn’t
make a difference how painful and
treacherous it is it doesn’t make any
difference how dark and hopeless and
helpless it may be
he is always the right response
father
what is your goal for my life in this
experience
secondly father how do you want me to
respond in this experience father all
that I am I lay down before you
With No Reservations no restrictions
I am solely your property
and fourthly father all that I have is
yours I open my hands you can take any
in all of it it is all yours
and my friend
when you and I get in the valley
and that is our response
almighty God in all of his Sovereign
wisdom and love will guide us every step
of the way through that Valley and
secondly
the pain may be almost unbearable
but the glory on the other side
will make that pain
disappear
now you say well
and I saw this happen a week or so ago
sometimes people are going through pain
and they think when somebody describes
it what do they know about it
but my friend
none of us know how anyone else hurts
that’s not even the issue the issue is
what is the proper response
what is your goal
how would you have me respond
here am I and here is all that I have
God will honor that every single time
and father we love you for this
wonderful past of scripture
so simple
but so descriptive so comforting and so
reassuring
and I ask you father with all of my
heart for all the hurting people who are
going to hear this message
I pray the spirit of God
would write
etch indelibly upon their heart
that when you said
you would be with us
you meant it every step of the way and
that you will work good out of all of
our pain all of our hurt all of our
suffering that you will accomplish your
purpose
your way and your will and so father we
just want to rest in that today and
thank you that you’re the all-sufficient
savior
adequate
for every experience we face in life
and we thank you for it in Jesus name
amen