In the Valleys

God with Us In the Valleys Psalm 84 Pastor Pat Damiani December 1, 2019 NOTE: This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript. For this sermon series, I am also indebted to Life Church and Pastor Craig Groeschel, who have provided some of the ideas that shaped this message and who have also provided graphics and other supporting materials at no charge. [Video] I’m so glad that you’re with us this morning as we begin this new sermon series – God with Us. It’s pretty easy to believe that God is with us when things are going well, when we’re on the mountaintop. When you get a promotion and a raise at your job, when you get a clean bill of health from your doctor, when the Arizona Wildcats beat the ASU Sun Devils, or even when you get a prime parking spot at the grocery store or the mall. But it’s not nearly as easy to sense His presence when we go through valleys. When the promotion at work goes to someone else, or you find out that you or a loved one has cancer, or the Sun Devils win. And we’re going to talk about those valleys this morning. In the Bible valleys can be a picture of several different things. • Sometimes they are a place where battles are fought. Even the very last battle in the Bible, the battle of Armageddon, is going to be fought in a valley. And there are some of you here this morning who are in a battle. • Sometimes valleys were a place of loneliness. And some of you here this morning are in one of those seasons of loneliness right now, especially during this holiday season. • Sometimes valleys were a place of suffering and even punishment. And some of you here this morning might feel like you’re in one of those valleys in your life right now. But valleys were also a place of refreshment and places with fertile ground where tremendous growth took place. And that is the idea that I want to be a great encouragement for all of us here this morning. Even if you’re in a valley right now, God can use that as a place of tremendous growth in your life. In fact, here is the main idea that I hope you’ll take with you today: We may enjoy God on the mountaintops, but we get to know Him intimately in the valleys Before we go any further, I need to make a disclaimer about this series. The series itself is not my original idea. It has been developed with some help of some materials produced by Life Church and their pastor Craig Groeschel. Life Church is a large church that regularly makes high quality resources available to smaller churches like ours at no charge whatsoever. That includes the professional video we used to open the message and some of the other graphics that you will see during this series. Included in those resources is the entire text of the sermons that Craig Groeschel preached at Life Church. But I learned long ago from personal experience that it’s not usually a good idea to preach someone else’s sermons. So I’m certainly not going to do that in this series. That being said, I do need to acknowledge that some of the ideas that I’m going to share with you during this series were inspired by those messages. You might be wondering why I’ve picked this to be our Christmas series this year. But if you think about it, the idea of “God with Us” is actually the main theme of Christmas, isn’t it? Most of you are probably at least somewhat familiar with Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus which includes this explanation of the incarnation, the birth of Jesus: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:22–23 ESV) We see here that the event we celebrate at Christmas - the birth of Jesus - is all about “God with Us”. This morning we’re going to begin our series with a passage that most of us would probably never associate with Christmas – Psalm 84. You’ll find the Psalms right around the middle of your Bible. And while you’re turning to Psalm 84, let me give you a little bit of background. This Psalm is a Psalm of pilgrimage. Every able-bodied Jewish male was required to travel to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple three times a year and much of the time their families would accompany them. According to Luke’s gospel account, Jesus’ family made that trip regularly and on at least one occasion, when he was 12 years old, Jesus went with them. As they traveled, these pilgrims would sing songs like this in anticipation of their arrival at the Temple. [Read Psalm 84] As they make their way to Jerusalem, these worshipers go through the Valley of Baca. This is the only place this valley is mentioned in the Bible, and while there is a lot of speculation, nobody knows for sure exactly where it is located. But there is no reason to think this is not a real valley that was located somewhere near Jerusalem. Since Jerusalem is set on a hill, it was necessary to travel through a valley to get there regardless of which direction the travelers were coming from. The Hebrew word translated Baca is related to the Hebrew word which means “to weep”. It is likely a reference to a certain kind of balsam tree that oozed sap so that it looked like it was weeping. So a few of our English translations actually translate this as the “valley of weeping”. This just reinforces what we said earlier about valleys being a place of danger and difficulty that might very well produce weeping and tears. These worshipers were on their way to a mountaintop experience where they were going to enter into joyful worship with their fellow Jews. In their hearts they long to be in the Temple courts where they will worship God and sing for joy. But first they have to go through the Valley of Baca. And while that is not necessarily going to be a fun experience, it is a place where they are going to have the opportunity to get to know God better. So we see here the contrast between the mountaintop experience that they were looking forward to and the present reality of the valley that they had to pass through in order to arrive there. And that is why we said earlier that… We may enjoy God on the mountaintops, but we get to know Him intimately in the valleys In order for us to better understand how we can get to know God more intimately in the valleys, we need to do two things this morning: • First, we need to understand some facts about valleys that are revealed here. • Second, we need to put into practice some practical steps that we can take when we are in a valley so that we can get to know God intimately while we are traveling through those valleys. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VALLEYS 1. Valleys are inevitable As I mentioned earlier, it was impossible to get to Jerusalem without going through a valley to get there. Wherever these worshipers were coming from, it meant going through the Valley of Baca. The same thing is true for us spiritually. It is just not possible for us to remain on the mountaintops all the time and as we go from mountaintop to mountaintop, it requires us to go through one or more valleys to get there. We see evidence of this all throughout the Bible. Almost every person who has a mountaintop experience ends up in a valley shortly thereafter: • Moses literally goes up on a mountaintop to receive instructions from God and then when he comes down from the mountain he finds Aaron and the people making a golden calf. • Next week, we’ll see that Elijah calls down fire from heaven and destroys the prophets of Baal and then shortly thereafter he is running for his life. • Even Jesus enters Jerusalem to the praises of the crowds only to have those crowds turn on Him less than a week later and shout “crucify Him”. So He understands what it means to have to live in the valleys. And Jesus and the New Testament writers also make it clear that valleys are inevitable. Most of you are probably familiar with some of these verses: …In the world you will have tribulation… (John 16:33 ESV) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds (James 1:2) Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it come upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12 ESV) 2. Valleys are temporary There are two really important words in verse 6 that we are tempted to just skip over, but which are critical here - “go through”. Although these worshipers had to go through the Valley of Baca, they weren’t planning on staying there. Another Psalm, one that is more well-known that this one, expresses that same idea. Most of you can probably complete this line from Psalm 23: Even though I walk… through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, (Psalm 23:4 ESV) Again, we see here that God designs valleys to be temporary. They have an end and therefore we can walk through them. But let me be really honest here. Most of us have probably either been in a valley that lasted a long time or we’ve seen a loved one do that. But for those of us who are disciples of Jesus, even if we go through a valley that lasts our entire lifetime here on earth, it is still temporary. I love how Paul encourages is with these words in his letter to the churches in Rome: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18 ESV) One day, we will get to live permanently on a mountaintop, but in the meantime we will go through valleys. But we can be encouraged by the fact they are all temporary. 3. I am never alone We’re going to explore this idea in much more depth in the last message in this series, but we can be sure that when we go through valleys we are never alone because God is walking through those valleys with us. Just a moment ago we looked at the first part of Psalm 23:4: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, Does anyone know the next words in that verse? for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4 ESV) Even though valleys are temporary, God never promises that He will immediately remove us from those valleys. But what He does promise is that He’ll go through them with us. Again the Scriptures are full of examples that illustrate this idea: • Noah and his family had to go through the flood and experience the death and destruction that resulted. But God was with them. • Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not delivered from being thrown into the fiery furnace, but God was with them in the midst of that furnace. • Jonah was not spared from spending three days in the belly of the fish, but God was with him during that time. • Even Jesus was not spared from the agony of the cross. And He did temporarily experience what it was like to go through that without God’s presence when the sin of all the world was placed upon Him and a holy God looked away. But ultimately God was with Him and brought Him through that valley through the resurrection. Before we leave this last fact about valleys, I also want to point out that one reason that Jesus has placed His disciples into this body we call the church is so that not only will God accompany us through those valleys, but so that we also have flesh and blood people who will do that also. When we’re in a valley we must keep these three facts in mind: • Valleys are inevitable • Valleys are temporary • I am never alone HOW TO GET TO KNOW GOD INTIMATELY IN THE VALLEY Look at verse 6 again. It says that when these worshipers go through the Valley of Baca, they “make it a place of springs”. The picture here is that even though they don’t plan to remain in the valley, while they are there they stop long enough to dig these pits or wells that are going to collect water when God brings the rain. This is an act of faith on their part because they have to trust that God is going to bring the rain that will fill them according to His plans, even if they don’t get to enjoy the fruit of their work on their journey and their labor only ends up benefitting future travelers. So we see here that when we’re in a valley we are not just to be passive. There are some things we must do if we are going to use those valleys to get to know God more intimately. In particular, there are three things that are presented in this passage and each one of them is introduced by the phrase “blessed are” or “blessed is”. 1. Praise God even when I don’t feel like it (v. 4) Our love for God should never be dependent on our circumstances. That is certainly not the way God loves us. As we saw in the book of Romans, Jesus died on the cross for us while we were still sinners. I’m sure in His humanity, that is not something He felt like doing. The first “blessed are” is found in verse 4. There we see that these worshipers are blessed because they “dwell’ in God’s house and they are “ever” singing His praise. I’m sure they didn’t always feel like doing that, especially when they were going through the valleys. But they had built the practice of praising God into their lives when they were on the mountaintops so that when the valleys came, they just kept on doing that because that is what they always did. That is what the new song we’ve been singing these past two weeks – Yes I Will – is all about. As the video we used to preview that song last week reminded us, sometimes we just have to choose to praise God by an act of the will, even when we don’t feel like it and then let our emotions follow that. I’ve observed over the years that when people are in a valley, they have a tendency to avoid God and to avoid other people. But in fact, what we need to do in those circumstances is exactly the opposite. We certainly need to spend time with God on our own, but we also need to join with others in praising Him on a regular basis. 2. Rely on what I know, not on what I feel (v. 5) The second “blessed are” is found in verse 5. There we find that we are blessed when we find our strength in God rather than depending on our own strength. I think we would all intellectually agree with that, but how do we actually do that in real life? That’s the reason I worded this second principle the way I have. I could have just said something like “rely on God’s strength” or “use God’s power”, but those are kind of philosophical ideas that sound good but they don’t really provide us with something concrete we can do. I am convinced that one of the most important things we can do if we want to find our strength in God and “go from strength to strength” as we read in verse 7 is to make sure that we don’t act based on our emotions and feelings. That is what we generally do when we try to go through valleys in our own strength. I’ve done that and my guess is that you’ve done that. So let me ask you how does that generally work for you? I know it very rarely works for me. The reason I began this morning by sharing the three truths about valleys is because knowing and acting on them is how I appropriate God’s power in my valleys. When I know that valleys are inevitable, I don’t panic when they come along. I’m not caught off guard. Because I know they are coming I have taken time ahead of time to prepare for that. I have spent time in God’s Word and in prayer filling my mind with the things of God so that I’ll be equipped to follow Him through those valleys. When I know that valleys are only temporary, it allows me to persevere rather than try to run. It makes it possible for me to remain in that valley long enough for God to do whatever work He want to do in my life. And when I know for a fact that God is with me in those valleys, it causes me to reach out and cling to Him and to spend time with Him and with my brothers and sisters in Christ. That fact encourages me to continue to spend time in the Bible and in prayer and to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that God can do His work in my life through the valley. 3. Trust God even when I don’t have any answers (v. 12) The final “blessed is” is found in verse 12. There we find that we are blessed when we trust in God. Again, that is a statement that I think we would all agree with intellectually, but how do we actually put that idea into practice in real life? At least one of the ways we do that is to trust that God knows what He is doing even when we don’t understand what is going on and we don’t have all the answers. When we walk through a valley sometimes God will reveal to us the reason for the valley. But far more often, He waits to reveal those answers until we have walked through the valley with Him. I think that is because if we knew all the answers, we would feel like we didn’t need Him. I have walked through a number of valleys in my life for which I still don’t have answers. I can’t tell you why my father died when he was only 52 years old and why Mary’s dad died just a few years later and so our kids grew up without the influence of grandfathers in their lives. I can’t tell you why, in both business and ministry I’ve had people go behind my back and try and undermine me. I can’t tell you why I’ve had family members and friends who have seen their lives devastated by the impacts of disease, divorce, mental illness and sin. But in many of those situations, I’ve also seen a loving God make straight that which man has made crooked. So, as we sang earlier, I just have learned to trust that because God has done that in the past, I can trust that He will do it again in the future, even in those situations where I might not see that personally. So when you walk through a valley, don’t look for answers, look for God. We may enjoy God on the mountaintops, but we get to know Him intimately in the valleys Are you in a valley right now? Are you in the midst of a battle, maybe a battle with some sin in your life that you are struggling with? Are you a season of loneliness right now as we head into the holiday season? Are you in a place of suffering where you might even feel like God is punishing you for some reason? If you are, I want to encourage you this morning and let you know that you don’t need to despair or fear because this Christmas season is our reminder that God is with us. But even more than that, Christmas reminds us that Jesus understands our valleys because He experienced those valleys personally when He left the glory of heaven and took on a body of flesh and lived on this earth as a man for a little over 30 years. And then He went through the deepest valley ever when He willingly took the sins of all mankind upon Himself and died on the cross to pay the penalty for those sins so He could offer us the greatest gift of all time – the gift of eternal life. The same God who is with us on the mountaintops is with us in the valleys. If you’ll let Him, He will take you from strength to strength as He walks through the valley with you. And in that process you will get to know Him more intimately than you ever did before you entered that valley. As we have a time of response in just a moment, will you respond as God leads you this morning? • If you have never received the gift of eternal life that Jesus made possible by His death and resurrection, would you receive that this morning? • If you’re in a valley right now, would you commit to God to take the steps we’ve outline this morning and praise God even when you don’t feel like it, rely on what you know rather than what you feel, and trust God even when you don’t have answers? • If you’re not going through a valley right now, do you know someone else you know who is? Would you ask God to show you what you can do to help them walk through that valley? You don’t have to do any of that alone. As we said earlier, Jesus places His disciples into this body we call the church so that we never have to walk through these valleys alone. So if there is anything we can do as a church to help you, please let us know. You can speak with me or any of our elders during the response time or you can contact us using the contact information you’ll find on the back of the bulletin. Discussion Questions for Bible Roundtable 1. Today we don’t have a physical Temple where God manifests His presence. So how do we “dwell” in God’s house today? 2. Sometimes sincere Christians try to promote the gospel by telling other people that if they commit their lives to Jesus, all their problems will go away. What are the dangers of that approach? 3. What are some of the dangers of relying on my feelings when I go through a valley? 4. What are some practical things I can do to learn to trust God even when I don’t have answers? 5. Is there a particular valley that you’ve gone through where you got to know God more intimately? Would you be willing to share that with the group?