The last time I posted I was living on the mountain top. God had me in a place where I had just started dating, I was leading in ministry, and I was getting ready to leave on my first mission trip. Since then a lot has changed and I have spent a decent amount of time in the valley. It has been dark, scary, confusing, and hard to see God. We’ve all been there from time to time but I’m writing today to tell you that this too shall pass.
In the valley, I have experienced challenges with my mental health including being diagnosed with Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. I have struggled with body image and thoughts of not being good enough have attacked my mind more than I would like to admit. In the valley, I witnessed a beautiful life being taken from this earth to go home to God. I’ve seen more tears in this valley than I think I’ve seen my whole life and the pain of watching the ones I love question God and his goodness challenged my own faith. I found myself stuffing my emotions in order to provide and be a helping hand to everyone else while crumbling to pieces on the inside. I felt isolated and began losing all hope.
The Valley of Dry Bones
“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I replied, “Lord God, only you know.”
He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
So, I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” So, I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’ Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, my people, and lead you into the land of Israel. You will know that I am the Lord, my people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it. This is the declaration of the Lord.’”
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
This is me and this is where I am. Broken, scattered, spiritually dry and dead. I’m sure you have been here before or maybe you are with me right now in this valley. These bones in the scriptures were once spiritually strong individuals just like me and you but somewhere along the way they lost hope in the living God. They gave up and stopped trying to reach the next mountain top. These individuals felt the exact same way I feel in the valley—hopeless, spiritually dead, and isolated, but God reveals his goodness and love by breathing life into us through His Word.
We say there is no hope but God reminds us that He is our hope. 1 Peter 1 talks about the living hope we have in Christ Jesus and how our times in the valley are refining us for His glorious riches that He promises. We lose sight of the mountain top and begin to only focus on the hardships of the valley while losing sight of what God has promised and as a result also losing hope in the One who made the promise.
We feel spiritually dead and dried up but God provides us with life through Jesus. He is the living water and with Him we shall thirst no more. However, sometimes we stop searching for the living water and try to take on the valley with our own strength. We use the water we brought with us but that water does not last and we are not able to sustain ourselves in the valley. Without the living water, we will thirst and dry up spiritually. This is what happened to me. I stopped searching and going to God while in the valley and I found myself relying on my own strength and grew weak as a result.
We start to feel isolated in the valley and can turn the finger towards God, feeling as if He has left us. The truth is that God has never abandoned us and in fact wants nothing more but the best for us! Ever heard the saying “we grow through what we go through”? Well, the saying applies here. God wants what is best for us and he has great plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and in order to achieve those plans our character has to reflect His and we grow in our character through the trials we face in the valley. God was and is for you and if God is for you, who can be against you (Romans 8:31).
We cannot give up
The person I admire most and who has taught me a lesson or two about perseverance and faith is my boyfriend’s sister Jada. Remember the passing of my sweet friend mentioned above? Well, this is her and Jada has had her share of time in the valley. Despite the times in the valley, Jada never lost hope and always strived towards God. She has taught me so much about finding God in the darkest times of life and to rejoice in the things to come. In the valley, we have to look to God who is good and remember His promises. We have to continue striving forward, listening to the lessons taught while relying on God through it all. This is exactly how Jada lived her life. She was always full of hope and God’s love and she poured out to others. I pray that we all learn from Jada to never give up and to always look towards the mountaintops.
“I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1-2
Jada,
As I sit here and reflect on your life, tears fill my eyes and a mixture of emotions surround me. I feel sadness, joy, confusion, and yet a comfort that I cannot seem to comprehend. I remember from the first time I met you until the last time I held your hand. Our time together seemed so short but you left a mark on my heart so big that I will never forget. Before I met you in person, I felt close to you and God gave me a vision. I wanted to study the Bible with you and see you become my sister in Christ. Upon meeting you, I was greeted with a huge hug that I will always remember. Your bright smile and energy always makes me feel welcomed and loved. As I got to know you more, I learned about the hardships you have faced but I learned how you overcame them. You, my special friend, are a fighter and I admire that about you. No matter what life would throw at you, you conquered and still looked towards God. I have never seen someone go after God the way that you would still seek his goodness in everything. I want you to know that you are missed dearly. You are priceless and not a single person could ever replace you because you are uniquely and wonderfully made. You completed the race and that calls for celebration and I know how you like a good party! I’m sure you are showing everyone up on the dance floor. You were being refined here on this earth but God finished preparing you for His Kingdom! You are too valuable and precious for the earth and so God has taken you to the place you belong—in His loving arms. Thank you for loving me and accepting me into your family. I will never forget the time at Olive Garden when you told the waitress I was the adopted sibling and I could not stop laughing! Thank you for teaching me to fight even when I feel like giving up. Thank you for being a positive example in my life and showing me how to keep praising God even in the darkness. Thank you for being you and being my friend. I love and will never forget you for you are unforgettable!
-Alex
God,
Thank you for allowing me the honor to meet and know Jada. Thank you for giving me a vision to help her see you. Little did I know that you were using her to impact me. God, thank you for never leaving me when I turn my back on you. You, in return, continue to draw closer to me and you never leave my side. I pray that I myself and any other person going through the valley can hold firm to your truth. That we don’t lose sight of your promises but stand grounded in You. God, I pray that you continue to breathe life into the bones of those in the valley who have lost all hope. Give them the strength to keep marching forward. It has been a rough year in the valley but I know that your Word remains true and that there are brighter days ahead. I’m ready God. I’m ready to climb towards the next mountain top. Guide my steps and the steps of others also climbing out of the valley. I pray that no matter the challenges faced, we don’t allow Satan to steal our joy. For, your light will always outshine the darkness. I pray you continue to provide healing for me and all those going through difficult times with the passing of Jada. God, I want to specifically pray for Jada’s family. I pray you continue to wrap your arms around them and that your peace that is far beyond their understanding is felt now and always. I pray they know it is okay to cry but that they also know you are crying with them. You are with them God and you are working. Give them the strength they need God. I pray their faith only grows stronger and that they take the comfort and love you have provided and extend it to others so they too can experience your love. God, thank you and I love you.
-Your Daughter
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