Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
~Psalm 84:5-7 (ESV)
Last week my husband and I traveled through four states in four days on our quest to have visited all 50 states in our lifetimes. Since there was really no particular reason to visit them, we had subtitled them our forgotten four states. However, by way of country roads and major highways, we were pleasantly surprised with our discoveries in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The expansive Ozarks, the various museums, the first Walmart store, the story tellers and the noteworthy microbreweries. We will not soon forget the states themselves but I must admit the trip in general is still a blur.
The life with God is similar. Certain legs of the journey are not soon forgotten. As our hearts travel along God’s highway, we experience happiness and gain strength. However, on another leg our souls might feel as parched as valleys thirsting for rain. I am learning the blessing of pushing through the blur of these desolate valleys to the life-giving places where my spiritual strength is rediscovered.
This rediscovery often comes at the end of the journey when most needed to finish well. For with a rhythm of going from strength to strength in the Lord’s name comes the blessing of appearing before God.
Thank You, Lord for the blessing of appearing before you.
Come Learn Rest Ministries 