“Come to me, all ye that labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
Freedom
Lately, I have found myself in the valley for longer than I would care to be here. I don’t like to write when I’m in the valley because I’m not sure the valley’s influence over me will cause me to write anything of worth to anyone, let alone encourage anyone because it is usually painful.
But then I started thinking about what happens in the valley and realized there are good things that come from it. I know I love the mountaintop experiences; the moments of breakthrough that leave me overwhelmed with joy and relief knowing that the previous valley experience has come to an end. But the thing is, not much grows at the top of the mountain which means I have to go back down into the valley in order to find freedom.
We can experience freedom many times throughout our lives. There is the freedom we find for our spirits when we are saved and Jesus finds us and gives us eternal life. And then there is the freedom we find for our souls as we allow the Lord to lead us through the journey of being made whole. For me, this one has happened a lot. There have been many things (i.e. lies, wounds, unbelief, etc.) Jesus has set me free from. They’ve always happened in the valley. Valleys are not always fun so why would anyone want to travel through them? What follows are the things I’ve discovered that make the valley experience worthwhile.
First, through the valleys, I learned that I can trust God. Every valley he has led me to, he’s always gotten me through it. He’s always brought me to the other side. God is faithful! Over and over again to the point where I’ve lost track of the number of valleys he’s brought me to but what remains is the truth that God is faithful.
Second, the feeling of peace that overwhelms me when I’ve been set free…when the breakthrough occurs there is this feeling of peace, overwhelming joy, and relief in knowing that it’s over… that I’ve reached the other side. I wouldn’t trade the peace for anything.
Lastly (and the best), I end up knowing my Abba Father better than I did before. I can’t even begin to tell you how worth it is to go through the valley for this reason alone. I remember sharing with a friend how foolish I felt because each time I came through the valley I was in awe of who God was and what he had done in me and for me. She explained that God was like a diamond and I was just discovering the different facets of who he was. How amazing is it that God wants us to know so much about him?
As Matthew wrote in chapter 11 verse 28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Come he calls. Come to him. I promise you won’t be disappointed! Come and find freedom.
God bless you as you join him in the valley to find freedom…Amen
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