Hello. My name is Frank Johnson, and I am speaking to you today from my video blog, ProdigalGod.com.

Today’s message will be the fourth and final part in a four-part series entitled, “The Valley of Weeping.”

I’m basing my comments regarding the suffering we experience in life on Psalm 84, so if you’d like to open your Bibles to that passage, you will be ready to follow along.

Let’s get started.

The Transformed Obstacle
If we begin our journey with a firm resolve and allow our goal to be a motivating force, we will transform the apparent obstacles which lie in our path into blessings. The sixth verse of Psalm 84 says, “As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.”

The Hebrew word for “make” in verse 6 means “to fashion” - as a craftsman fashions shapeless blocks of wood into a beautiful piece of furniture; as a painter fashions a blank canvas into a beautiful painting; as a sculptor fashions a mass of stone into a beautiful statue.

The Hebrew word for “spring” in verse 6 means “a place of refreshment.” In the Old Testament, the world almost always is used symbolically of the presence of God.

The combination of these two Hebrew words suggests two things. First of all, time is required to fashion the valley of weeping into this place of refreshment. Again, the New Testament call is never to escape difficulty, but always to endure and embrace it, allowing difficulties to work character into our lives.

Secondly, if we respond correctly to the valley of weeping - if we have prepared ourselves by setting our hearts on pilgrimage and turning our eyes towards Zion - the valley of weeping will be a place where the God’s presence sustains us.

When you find yourself in the midst of the valley of weeping, and you have allowed the Lord to prepare you for it, the tears of your sorrows will mingle with the rain of God’s blessings to form springs and pools of God’s presence.

We need to realize that when the valley of weeping is made into a spring, we are still in the valley of weeping. The struggles continue. But the presence of the Christ is there - the presence which sustains, the presence which strengthens, the presence which encourages, the presence which transforms.

And this is the desire of God for you when you find yourself in the midst of the valley of weeping - that you might recognize the presence of your Lord; that you might experience intimacy with the Christ.

And then, not only will the valley of weeping be transformed, but your life will be transformed. Not only will you fashion the valley of weeping into a place where the intimate presence of the Christ is experienced, but the valley of weeping will fashion you into a complete and mature believer.

And dear one, you will take that far beyond the valley of weeping. And the valley of weeping will fade in comparison with the unutterable joy of intimacy with the Lord Jesus.

Those who set their hearts on pilgrimage and allow their goal (that which is eternal) to be a motivating force will fashion the valley of weeping into a place of refreshment, into a place where they will be sustained by the presence of God - into a place where they will be comforted by the presence, encouraged by the presence, transformed by the presence.

Your circumstances may remain difficult. You may continue to weep. But God’s presence with you will sustain you.

Two Examples from the Life of Paul
The first example concerns Paul’s general attitude while in prison. Do you realize that Paul never called himself a prisoner of Rome? He always called himself a prisoner of the Lord Jesus. Paul wasn’t chained to Rome; Rome was chained to Paul! [The insight and language are taken from a sermon preached by Steve Savelich of Eugene, Oregon.]

And because Paul had set his heart on pilgrimage and because he maintained his focus upon that which was eternal, because he continued to seek intimacy with the Lord, a Roman dungeon was transformed into a temple in which Paul was sustained by God’s presence.

The second example concerns Paul and Silas’ activities while they were in prison in Philippi [cf. Acts 16]. Although they were prisoners, they did not despair. Instead, they prayed and sang hymns to God. The valley of weeping was transformed. And the presence of Christ sustained them.

And so a Philippian jailer and his entire family submitted their lives to Jesus, because they were confronted with the intimate presence of the Almighty which had invaded the valley of weeping.

An Old Testament Example
The three Hebrew children in Daniel 3 are a wonderful example. When commanded to bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol or be thrown into the fiery furnace, their response was as follows: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” [Daniel 3:16-18]

They had set their hearts on pilgrimage. They maintained their focus on that which was eternal. They sought an encounter with their God. And thus, when they were thrown into the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar said that he saw a fourth man in the furnace like unto a son of the gods. The intimate presence of the Christ was with the three Hebrew children in the midst of the valley of weeping.

An Example from Modern Church History
Allow me to share with you a letter which was written by a prisoner in a Soviet concentration camp. While we may not agree with every point of this man’s theology, his letter gives a vivid illustration of how the presence of the Lord will meet us in the valley of weeping.

“It is only by being a prisoner for religious convictions in a Soviet camp that one can really understand the mystery of the fall of the first man, the mystical meaning of the redemption of all creation, and the great victory of Christ over the forces of evil. It is only when we suffer for the ideals of the Holy Gospel that we can realize our sinful infirmity and our unworthiness in comparison with the great martyrs of the first Christian Church. Only then can we grasp the absolute necessity for profound meekness and humility, without which we cannot be saved; only then can we begin to discern the passing image of the seen, and the eternal life of the Unseen.

“On Easter Day all of us who were imprisoned for religious convictions were united in the one joy of Christ. We were all taken into one feeling, into one spiritual triumph, glorifying the one eternal God. There was no solemn Paschal service with the ringing of church bells, no possibility in our camp to gather for worship, to dress up for the festival, to prepare Easter dishes. On the contrary, there was even more work and more interference than usual. All the prisoners here for religious convictions, whatever their denomination, were surrounded by more spying, by more threats from the secret police.

“Yet Easter was there: great, holy, spiritual, unforgettable. It was blessed by the presence of our risen God among us - blessed by the silent Siberian stars and by our sorrows. How our hearts beat joyfully in communion with the great Resurrection! Death is conquered, fear no more, an eternal Easter is given to us! Full of this marvelous Easter, we send you from our prison camp the victorious and joyful tidings: Christ is risen!” [Ware, pgs. 116-117]

Truly, this one had seen the valley of weeping transformed into a sanctuary where the presence of God sustained him.

Conclusion
And so, dear one, do you find yourself in the midst of the valley of weeping? God is calling you to intimacy with Himself. He is crying out to you, “Come to Me! In the midst of the wilderness, come to Me! In the midst of your wandering, come to Me! In the midst of your suffering, come to Me!”

Set your heart on pilgrimage. Turn your eyes towards Zion. Then you will see the valley of weeping transformed into a temple where Jesus’ presence will lift you up.

May the Lord richly grant us grace and courage to do these things. 

This concludes our series on the Valley of Weeping. My prayer is that what I have shared has blessed you and will result in your experiencing a greater maturity in your Christian life and a greater intimacy with God.

I hope also that you will join me next time as we begin a new series - Wayward Sons and a Prodigal God.

Thank you for joining me today.