In this sermon, our pastor was looking at the verses through the eyes of Joseph.
The virgin, the woman that Joseph loved and wanted to marry. To hear the news that Mary was with child and it wasn’t his, had to be devastating. The fact that the child belonged to the Holy Spirit wouldn’t have been much comfort in a world where many people wouldn’t believe this. He would be shamed and ostracized, whispers that he couldn’t help but hear and the looks of judgement he would have to endure.
He had options, of course. He could do as the law of Moses prescribed by having her stoned. But, he loved her and didn’t want to make things worse for her. He had decided to divorce her quietly so as not to bring shame on her. But when this thought crossed his mind, he was visited by an angel of the Lord in a dream. The angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. The baby belonged to the Holy Spirit and they were to name him Jesus because he was to save the people from their sins.
”The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel —which means, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23
Joseph was a righteous man and decided to do as the angel instructed him. It wasn’t going to be easy though. He would be judged by the people and so would she. He still had to walk through this storm which was of no fault of his own.
It’s easy to believe in God when things are going our way, but when we’re walking through the valley, sometimes it’s difficult to hear God.
When it comes to valleys, we’re either on are way into a valley, in the middle of it, or coming out of it.
Where is God in the valleys?
We don’t have to fight battles when we’re on the mountain top. The battles are fought in the valleys. During this time there are feelings of desperation, loneliness, anxiousness, frustration, and depression to name a few. It may be difficult to see, hear, or feel God’s presence in the valleys.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs, the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 84:5-7
When the writer tells you where they are, it’s important. The Valley of Baca is called the valley of weeping. It’s any difficult and painful place in life, where everything seems hopeless and you feel helpless. Loss, frustration, depression are common when moving through the valleys in life. They are not easy to get through.
When we try to get through times like this on our own power, we only have what we can bring to the table, just your own strength. This is an advantage that believers have. When we know God intimately, we have a strength that is greater than our own. We can lean into it.
In Exodus 17, when Moses holds his hands up Israel is winning, but as he gets tired and drops his hands, they begin to lose. Aaron and Hur come to his aid and help him hold his arms up and Israel wins again.
Just as Moses had them to help him, we have brothers and sisters in Christ that can come along beside us. This is the strength of God that is available to us.
The sad thing is that we sometimes need to be broken so that we realize we need God. When we’re too ashamed to call out to God, that lie comes from Satan.
It doesn’t say “blessed are those who make it on their own”. It’s “blessed are those who call on the name of the Lord.”
We need God’s presence. It’s not a sign of weakness. You have to be strong enough to say I’m weak, I need you, Lord.
The Bible doesn’t say that if we believe in Him, we’ll have no problems. But when we keep our eye on God, he goes before us and leads the way. We won’t be in the valley forever. We’re just passing through. God shows you through, not just out of the valley. We can know that He is faithful to his word.
Show God your faith and he’ll show you his faithfulness. The Bible is full of examples of this…
- Build the boat…Genesis 6:19
- Go to the priest…Luke 17:14
- Pick up your mat and walk…John 5:8
Prepare for the presence of God. Dig a hole in the valley and wait for him to fill it. Get strength on the journey…His strength!
Get to know God in the valleys.
As I was preparing for my Bible study this afternoon, there was an activity to map your life looking for the valleys and the mountains. At first, I thought about not doing the activity. It would probably be an assignment for next week. But, then I thought about it again, and thought it might tie in with this sermon, so I did it. Looking at my map, I noticed that every place in my life that was a low point when I was going through a valley, it was followed by some time on the mountain top. As I considered each event, I thought about how the growth of my faith was affected and I could see that because of the valleys, I’d had tremendous growth. Knowing that he’s with me in those times, has helped me through them because I can turn to him and know that he’ll get me through them.
Our praise team did the song There’s Something About That Name following the sermon this Sunday, and I’m amazed as I think how well it fit in with the sermon. We did the version the Gaither’s recorded with a spoken word between the choruses. I asked our speaker to use what she wanted of their spoken word and change part of it to fit her situation. There weren’t too many dry eyes as most knew exactly what she was referring to about the tough times people have gone through and that she had witnessed. It was a beautiful ending to a message about the faithfulness of God and how important it is to continue to build that relationship with him.
If you live near Milan, IN, we’d love to have you visit us at Milan Christian Church. You can learn more about us at milanchurch.org. Church begins at 10:30 on Sunday mornings with Jon Porter bringing the message.
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 