5 Gifts Found in the Valley of Weeping
Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with blessings.
Psalm 84:6 AMP
The Gifts We Find in the Valley of Weeping
A chorus of birdsong ascends out the window, almost as if encouraging us to hope again—reminding us that seasons change, and a master Creator has ordered the ebb and flow of the world he holds in his hand.
As I sit at the window and greet the day, I thank God for the gift of springtime sunshine and the shift away from the long, dark winter months.
Opening my Bible, the words of Psalm 84 capture my attention: “Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with blessings” (Psalm 84:6).
We have endured the valley of weeping here. We are not in the valley now, but I take a few moments to reflect on the gifts we’ve uncovered in this valley in the past.
Perhaps you’re going through a difficult time—your own valley of weeping—as you read these words.
If so, here are several gifts we find in the valley.
5 Gifts Found in the Valley of Weeping
1. The valley of weeping offers the opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness.
Hebrews 10:23 reminds us, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (ESV).
When life is tough, we hold fast to our faith and trust that God is faithful. In response, God will reveal his faithfulness to us.
Our darkest valley took place several years ago when it seemed we were facing one loss after another.
As we walked through our grief, I sensed an ongoing invitation to turn to God in the darkness. Time after time, he met me in my lowest moments and lifted my head.
Difficult times are opportunities to experience God’s faithfulness in deeper ways.
Difficult times are opportunities to experience God's faithfulness in deeper ways. #faith #hope #GodsLove Share on XIf you are walking through the valley of weeping today, turn to God. Ask him to reveal his faithfulness to you. He is waiting.
2. The valley invites us to grow closer to God.
Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
God is near to us when our hearts are broken.
As we experience God’s faithfulness, we grow closer to him. I’ve learned that life’s most challenging times are always invitations to draw near to God and experience him in new ways.
Here are a few examples of what this might look like.
When faced with the devastating loss of a loved one, we let ourselves weep with God. He becomes the safest place in the world as we bring our emotions to him and ask him to comfort us.
When a dream falls short, we turn to God. We ask him to help us grow in trust. We cling to the promise that his plans for us are good and full of hope.
When faced with a frightening diagnosis, we cling to God. We bring him our fears again and again. We cling to his Word, declaring, “When I am afraid, I will trust you” (Psalm 56:3).
During difficult times, we can attempt to push forward through the valley of weeping in our human strength. Yet we miss out on the sweetness of growing closer to God. Our heavenly Father invites us to come to him and let our troubles lead us into his loving arms.
3. The valley offers a chance to grow in maturity.
Romans 5:3-5 reminds us, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
The darkest valleys of my life have also been the most soul-shaping.
The years I spent homebound with a debilitating illness included many tears. They also helped me learn to give thanks for the simple gifts in life, gifts like the ability to stand at the kitchen sink and wash dishes or walk to the end of the driveway to check the mailbox.
These years also changed my theology of suffering.
Prior to the experience, I had some false beliefs about pushing through suffering and how to endure physical pain.
After the experience, I saw suffering differently. This leads to our next point: I was also much more compassionate and empathetic toward those who suffer.
4. The valley of weeping helps us grow in compassion and empathy for others.
When we turn to God in the valley of weeping, we experience his comfort and compassion. Through receiving his comfort, we learn how to better comfort others. We are better able to express empathy and compassion.
Second Corinthians 1:3-4 reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Because I have experienced a miscarriage, I am better equipped to comfort women who are experiencing the same loss.
Because I have faced long-term illness, I am better able to comfort those who are ill.
Those who have suffered greatly in the valley emerge with the gift of compassion for those who suffer in similar ways.
5. The valley helps us become more like Jesus.
First John 3:2 reads, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”
Ultimately, the greatest gift found in adversity transformation into the image of Jesus. Difficult times hold the power to shape us to become more like Jesus.
When he lived on earth, Jesus faced every form of human suffering. He understands our suffering and has compassion for us.
Because he understands our suffering, we can trust that he will use it to mold our hearts to look more like his heart of love. The key is to keep soft, unoffended hearts as we seek him in our suffering.
If you are walking through the valley of weeping today, let these Truths encourage you. God is with you. He wants to use this difficult time to transform you. He will never abandon you, and his plans for you are good.
A Free Devotional to Carry You Through the Valley of Weeping
Hope for Hard Days is my free 10-day online devotional to help you hold onto hope when life is tough. You will find 10 readings to help you connect with God and claim his peace. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox today for free with promo code HOPE.
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As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
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