God Doesn't Lead Us Into Valleys

I am writing on a daily basis. Its a very sweet season we are in, precious to me. I get to write for anywhere from four to six hours almost every day. I also get to write in several different veins. I try and take the weekends off but its hard to stop the wheels from turning...

I have posted a beautiful and growing revelation that is rocking my world. Its going to go in the chapter on intimacy in the book I am writing - one of the veins. I wanted to share it here.

God Doesn't Lead Us Into Valleys

I would like to suggest that there was a foundational truth that David discovered about the nature of God that gave him access to intimacy with God. It was simply this. God is good and full of love; He does not lead me into valleys, He only has good intentions for me.

I believe this revelation is what defined David’s identity. It was the core conviction through which every life experience was filtered.

David writes a beautiful psalm that reveals his revelation of God and how it defined his life perspective. It’s the 23rd Psalm, one most of us know. It begins with a proclamation of God as the leader and provider of his life.

The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.

David continues in the same vein,

He (God) makes me lie down in green pastures. He, leads me, He restores my soul, he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name sake.

In the first part of the psalm, David lets us know that it is God who is leading him, and that God is leading him in good things. He is led to green pastures, led to still waters, in paths of righteousness. But as David’s journey continues, the language shifts.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil…

I love this verse because it says something so profound about David and his revelation of Father God. In fact, I think it’s the main revelation that David possessed that allowed for him to live as a man after Gods own heart.

The revelation was simply this; God does not lead him into valleys of the shadow of death. While David has no problem acknowledging that valleys exist and that there are enemies in those valleys, he gives God no credit for these things in his life. God does not do that sort of thing – He is good and full of love.

David had a perspective, a revelation of who God is that allowed for him to experience valleys without blaming God for them. In fact, once we find David in the valley, the language shifts again.

I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

I love this verse! David's journey once again becomes a testament of who God is in his life. And get this, in the valley, the language shifted from the early proclamation of He to the first person intimacy of You. David not only knew the valley was not Gods doing, it was this revelation that allowed him access to God in a much more intimate way.

I am convinced that David was able to be intimately aware of God’s presence in the valley because he was never offended in the valley. How could he be offended when it wasn’t in Gods heart for him to be in the valley? Somehow, David understood a New Testament revelation better than many of us living here now – on the other side of the cross.

The revelation? First, God is always good and full of love. Second, while valleys exist, God does not create them, and He never leads us into them - ever. Not only that, the valley is a place of intimate access to our Heavenly Father. He is there to lead us through.

The last verse of Psalm 23 show us that David new the true nature of God.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I’m convinced that David was able to maintain a heart after Gods presence because he knew God. He knew even before the revelation was fully available (pre-cross) that God is always good and full of love. That every plan God has for us is good. And if there are valleys, they have nothing to do with Him. How else does this man make it through all of his trials and still believe at the end.

I don’t know if you have ever thought about this but you cant be “a man or woman after Gods own heart” unless you know Gods heart. To know Gods heart means time spent chasing it, and catching it - time spent in His presence. And David, a man who was practiced in Gods presence, a man who knew Gods heart, tells us that Gods heart is for us. Surely goodness and love!