A Valley of Blessing. That's no doubt where I want to be. I would think that's where most of us would like to be.
As I was getting ready yesterday morning, I put on some music. Some music I hadn't listened to in quite a while. It was a CD I had found in the car. It was a Marvin Sapp CD. Man, was it good! A song came on and it was on! The song talked about finding your place of worship. "Look into your pain and find your praise." I was reminded of a time in my life when I was going through a lot of pain and I would listen to the song over and over. I was reminded of how sometimes we really have to make a conscious decision and effort to find a place of worship and decide to look into our pain and find our praise.
Then I get to church and what is the pastor talking about? How to fight the enemy through worship in story found in the Old Testament. I was like, "Ok God, I'm listening."
We often associate the valleys of life as those not so good times. Those hard times we go through and rightly so. The mountain top we can see clearly, we can see what's coming over the horizon. We can see for miles ahead on a good day. The valley on the other hand, we can't see what's on the other side of the hill. We don't know what's coming until it has toppled over the ridge into our lives at any given moment. So what is it about the valley found in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, that makes it so different? What makes it a Valley of Blessing?
Worship. Worship makes the difference. Praise. Praise is the game changer.
This valley starts out in verse one of the chapter just like any other valley. There is a battle about to begin. War has been declared on King Jehosophat and the children of Israel. The situation is really bad because about three armies have come together and are already on their way to ambush them.
How many of us have found ourselves in valleys and to make matters even worse the enemy seems to continue to set up ambushes along the way? I've been there. It's no fun at all. Just when you stand up to try and catch a glimpse over the horizon something comes flying outta nowhere and smacks you right in the face. BAM!!! What in the world?! Where did that come from?! We have an enemy that never fights fair!
We may find ourselves in many different so called valleys of life. Sickness. Disease. Injuries. Divorce. Death. Job loss. Addiction... There are so many. We live in a fallen world. But, in John 16, I'll assure you with the words of Jesus, "But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Thank you Jesus!
By the end of the chapter this same valley where the battle begins has been named a "Valley of Blessing". So what happens in all those verses in between? At the beginning of the chapter war has been declared and ambushes have been set up and at the end of the chapter there are enemy dead bodies everywhere and King Jehosophat and his men are taking the plunder left behind. Good stuff too. I mean valuable stuff. All kinds of stuff. Equipment, clothing, and all kinds of valuables- more than they can carry!!! The Bible says it took them three days to collect it all!!! Now that's some stuff! That's some really really good stuff! And on the fourth day the Bible says they all gathered together and named the place the "Valley of Blessing" because the people praised and worshiped and thanked the LORD there.
So how do we turn our valleys of battles into valleys of blessings?
There's a few things the wise King Jehosophat did that we might can learn from.
He immediately sought the LORD for guidance. And he told everyone else to do the same. Wouldn't it be awesome if when the enemy comes at us we immediately turn to God for His plan and His ideas, telling our friends and family to do the same instead of asking everybody we know what we should do? Go to God first. Get his ideas first. Please know I am a huge advocate for counseling, I'm just saying, ask God first and not last.
He prayed in front of the people and declared that God was powerful and mighty and the ruler over all the kingdoms of the earth. Sometimes we have to stand in front of our children, our parents, our siblings, our friends and declare that God is all powerful, He is able to do awesome things in the midst of this ensuing army and battle waged against us. We have to declare that God's power is so much greater than anything else on this earth that would present itself against us. Remind ourselves and anyone else around us that our God is greater.
He reminded himself and the people of the awesome things God had done in the past and his promises for the future. That is so important for us to remember. There's a song that I would sing many times and the only line I know is, "And He'll do it again for you, He's the same now as then. You may not know how, you may not know when but He'll do it again." Take time when the enemy rares its ugly head and remind ourselves of what God has already done, where He has already taken us from and stand on the promises of His word to hear us and rescue us again and again.
He listened to the voice of God. One of the first things God said was, "Do not be afraid." He then went on to say in so many words, I got this! You're not even gonna have to fight! This is not your battle this is my battle and I will fight it for you. You just stand still! (Boy! Is that a hard one sometimes!) You just stand still and watch me do it! We must take everything in us, the faith given by God Himself, and stand in it. Stand on it. We have to make a conscious decision to trust God to fight for us. To stand still. To choose faith even when we are tempted to fear because of everything we see with our natural eyes. Ask God to open our spiritual eyes, to see things from His perspective. Perspective changes everything!
He was obedient. God told him to get all the musicians and the singers and put them out in front of the army. In other words, "Get your praise on! Find your place of worship." And as crazy as that sounds, to lead an army into battle with the worshipers in the front instead of the swordsman, he did it. Jehosophat decided that it was best to trust God and do what He said rather than trust his own logic and battle stategy. Realize that God's strategy in battle is so much different than our own. Seek Him and His strategy first. Listen and trust it. Obey it. It may not make sense and it may be contrary to what we would think or believe to be the right thing, but make a conscious decision to obey and just do it.
He did the un-natural and God did the impossible. The worshipers went out in front of the army singing very loud and playing there instruments very loud. It totally freaked the enemy out!!! Wouldn't you love to freak the enemy out sometimes? Oh my goodness! I sure would! We gotta do things out of our natural way of thinking. And do them God's way and see what happens!! The enemy was so not expecting that battle plan and it totally messed them up! They began to turn on themselves and fought each other! They defeated their ownselves!!! See the enemy is already defeated, we just gotta trust God sometimes and allow His plan to remind the enemy of that! The battle was over and there were dead bodies all around. And they had not killed a single one!!! God is so good! He is able to do the impossible!
King Jehosophat gathered the plunder. He recognized that God had done an amazing thing that day and he brought the people together to take all the valuable things left behind by the enemy. He just took it up into his arms and said, "Thank you!" It took three days to pick it all up. On the fourth day, King Jehosophat named the place, "Valley of Blessing". Jesus stayed in the grave three days and I'm thinking right now that during that time He gathered it all up. He picked it all up. He gathered all things valuable. He gathered all the good stuff into His arms. He got it all. He didn't miss a thing. And when He finished He said, this is for you and me. It's because He has gathered it all that He can now give it all. Reach out, take it today. Healing is in His arms. Comfort is in His arms. Companionship is in His arms. Unconditional love is in His arms. Extravagant love is in His arms. Financial blessings is in His arms. Your children's future is in His arms. Salvation is in His arms. Freedom from addiction is in His arms. Mental health is in His arms. A new mind is in His arms. A new life is in His arms. Peace and wholeness is in His arms. It's all there. The Valley of Blessing is ours for the taking. Take it and just say, "Thank you Jesus!"
Because He lives,
Lenee
