Psalm 84:5-6 "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. (6) Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools."
There are certain phrases that I, personally, have problems with. Some of them
are well-worn phrases that are thrown out without much thought. Sometimes
we hear it said, "Well, God would not have allowed this to happen to you
if you weren't strong enough to handle it." Or sometimes we hear,
"You are strong and will get through this." The problem with that is
found in the truth that none of us are strong enough to get through any
situation in life without the mercy and grace of God. No, you are not
strong enough. I am not strong enough. But in our precious Lord, we can find
grace and mercy to help in time of need.
Hear the words of Jesus to the Apostle Paul and then Paul's response to those
worrds: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9) If any
human had been spiritually strong enough to handle any situation, I think it
would have been Paul. But he knew he couldn't handle that which was bothering
him. What did he do? He took it to the Lord. Even though the Lord would
not remove it, He did give grace (strength) enough for Paul to endure.
"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee (O Lord)... Who passing
through the valley of Baca make it a well..." What did the Psalmist
mean by using "the valley of Baca" as an example of the strength of
the Lord being sufficient? The word, "Baca", literally means
mourning, weeping, or tears shed. Let's use the example of Paul again.
What was his response when Jesus gave grace (strength) to Him instead of relief
from suffering? "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Paul was passing
through the valley of Baca in a spiritual sense, but he turned it into a well
of grace when he realized the mercy of our Lord was upon Him.
I'm
not writing this as one who has perfected this great truth. I'm writing it to
remind myself and anyone else who may be passing through a dark valley of life
just now. I'm not strong enough to handle a situation. I admit it. But I pray I
have spiritual wisdom to know the Lord is my Shepherd and He is my strength. I
pray that using that knowledge and the desire for fellowship with Him that my
"valley of Baca" (mourning, tears, weeping) will be turned into a
well (source) of grace from which I can draw each day.
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)