All of us are on a journey called life. While we journey on earth, we all experience times of affliction, difficulties, distress, or valleys of tears. Psalm 84:5-7 gives us some practical ways to pass through the Valley of Tears.
In verse 5 we learned that the first step in passing through the Valley of Tears is to realize that suffering happens at some point to everyone. It may be because we did something to cause it, or it may be that we just encountered the byproduct of someone else’s wrongdoing or evil. Either way, it hurts.
When we encounter difficulties, we need to remember that God is with us, and that He is our strength. We need to let God be all the strength we need to face the grief, the loss, the pain, or the discouragement. We need to do this because our strength fails, but God’s never does. Our strength gives out, but God’s is everlasting. Our strength is always inadequate, while God’s strength is always adequate. When you are facing suffering, let God be your strength to carry on.
In verse 5, the psalmist now adds another helpful step to successfully pass through the Valley of Tears. He says that it is important that the highway to God be in our hearts. This phrase is difficult to translate. It can mean that the path or road to God is in our hearts. It can also be referring to the pilgrim journey, which poetically would mean that the passion to journey and arrive in the presence of God is what should fill our hearts.
The practical application of this is that keeping our goal and our destination always in the forefront of our minds and hearts can keep us going when the going gets tough. When I was in high school I tried out for varsity basketball. The tryout instructions were simple. We all went down to the outdoor track and were told that the first thirteen people to cross the finish line, after running two miles, were on the team. This was a shock to most of us. Unfortunately, some players the coach wanted on the team were told this information in time to train for this two mile run. Others, like myself, would just have to want it bad enough to be in the top 13 finishers.
I ran until my lungs burned and my legs cramped. Then I ran some more. I was determined to be on the team, especially since the race was fixed by some being given prior notification. On the last lap I kept my eye on the finish line. I ran when I had no more energy to run. I finished number 9.
Jesus endured the suffering of the cross, because He kept His eye on the end result that He came to accomplish (cf. Hebrews 12:2). He went through the suffering and finished dying for us, so that all who would place their faith in Him could have eternal life. He could go through anything in order to make it possible for us to be restored to a proper relationship with God and live with God forever.
You and I can endure the Valley of Tears by keeping our eye on the goal and our finishing line. One day as we cross the finish line we will hear the heavenly crowds cheering, and Jesus saying, “Well done, you good and faithful servant.” It will be worth it all, when we cross the finish line and see Jesus, never to suffer again.
The next crucial step is to realize that we are only passing through the Valley of Tears. The word “through” is one of my favorite words in the Bible. It means that although Christians enter something (like the Valley of Tears, or the Valley of the Shadow of Death), we do not remain in the valley. “Through” means that although we do indeed enter and experience the adversity, we most assuredly will come out the other side! “Through” means that this thing that has brought us to tears, will pass. We are going to come out the other side of it because God is with us, and God always comes out the other side of any obstacle or adversity. Travel on!
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