valley springBlessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

Psalm 84:5-7

I’m so thankful this morning for the verses above from Psalm 84.  I love the image of the Israelites traveling toward Zion and how their journey is such a perfect picture of my present-day journey toward Heaven.

Imagining their hearts set on a pilgrimage reminds me that I need to have my heart set on my own.

Every day I’m one step closer and when I keep this in the front of my mind, the things of this world really do grow strangely dim.

Suddenly my load feels a little lighter and the road becomes a lot less rocky.

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As the Israelites passed through the Valley of Baca, which is also called the Valley of Weeping, they made a life-changing choice.

They chose to transform their valley of tears into a place of springs.

Today, I have the same choice every time I find myself in a low and barren place.

Will I choose to focus on my sadness or allow my tears to become pools of living water?

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On their own, the Israelites were weak people, often slipping away from God.

In their weakness, though, they allowed God to carry them from strength to strength.

I love this image too.

Me, often weak.

God, always strong.

There’s something freeing this morning about knowing I’m not alone on this journey.

Neither are you.

God is in our valleys, and He’s also in our weaknesses.

He longs to give us springs of cool water and He longs to give us strength.

When our hearts are set on the pilgrimage toward Zion,

we are blessed.

And when we’re not sure where to turn next on this often-painful journey,

He’s right there whispering…………………….

“This is the way………….walk in it.”

Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

“This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 31:21

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God,

Our hearts are set.

We’re leaning on you,

And we’re all ears today.

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saline_Valley,_California