Sermon Central
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04 The Valley Of Weeping Series
Contributed by Darren Rogers on Mar 3, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: How many times in your life are you brought to a place of tears? What do you do when you are there? Use it as a time for growth in the Lord.
The Valley Of Weeping – 1st March 2009 am
The word Baca means weeping. Life is full of heartaches and disappointments. Life is full of tears. Life begins with crying (A baby is born crying). Life ends with crying (We mourn for those who die). Psalm 84 details the importance of the house of the Lord to the Christian. In a day where people view the church as having no or little importance, the Bible clearly emphasises the importance of God’s house.
Vs. 1 – It is a place of great beauty and is well beloved. The devil hates it and the Christian loves it.
Vs. 2 – It is a place of desire and worship.
Vs. 3 – It is a place of nesting and sacrifice. A wonderful place to raise your children and to give to the Lord His due!
Vs. 4 – It is a place of continuance and glory. Those who are faithful to God’s house continue to praise His wonderful name!
Vs. 5 – It is a place of blessing and strength. It is in the house of the Lord that we find strength to endure in the hard times!
It is of no small wonder that God introduces the Valley of Weeping with the importance of steadfastness in the house of the Lord.
I. The Facts of The Valley
1. It Is Temporary – vs. 6 - “passing through”
It doesn’t matter whether you are a Christian or not, you will walk through this valley. The difference is that when you walk it as a Child of God, Jesus walks it with you and He carries you through the rough places.
There is no way around this valley, only through it. Those things in life that bring us pain or suffering can do one of two things; they can either break you or make you into a better person. Someone once said, “It’s not what happens that matters, it’s how you handle it.”
With all of life’s tears, there is much joy! Tears Are Temporal - John 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
Joy Will Be Eternal - Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
2. It Can Be A Blessing – vs. 6 – “make it a well”
Not make a well in the Valley of Weeping, but make the Valley of Weeping a well! What happens when you fill a valley up with water? – Reservoir…
You can pass through the valley of weeping and come out empty. Most people never see what the Lord is doing for them in this valley, we must learn to turn our times of sorrow and distress into wells from which we draw the waters of spiritual maturity and growth.
But, those that have the strength, stamina and character to stay with God make it a well. A Valley is a dark and often dreadful place... A well is a refreshing and helpful place. We will all pass through the Valley of Baca... But, those that have the Blessing of God upon them MAKE IT A WELL!
Some of you will pass through the valley of weeping and it will change you, whilst others will pass through this valley and they will change it.
Moses traveled the Valley of Tears as he fled into the wilderness – but he made it a well. He rebuilt his relationship with God and became the great leader of the Children of Israel.
Abraham traveled the Valley of Tears as God led him to that mountaintop to sacrifice his only son upon the altar as a symbol of his faith and obedience to God – but God had a well prepared for Abraham and provided a ram for the sacrifice.
Job traveled the Valley of Tears as Satan was allowed to strip away everything that God had blessed Job with – but Job dug a well in the desert spiritually speaking. He never lost his relationship with the Giver of all good things. Job drank from the well of the living water and God restored to him many times more than what he had lost.
David traveled the “Valley of Tears” as he failed God so many times, even having an illegitimate son from another man’s wife and watching God take that son away from him because of his sin – but David made it a well asking God to forgive him (Psalm 51). God still called David a man after God’s own heart even through all of David’s failures.
