Digging Wells in the Valley of Baca

SCRIPTURE

PSALM 84:4-12

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,ever singing your praise! Selah5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,in whose heart are the highways to Zion.6 As they go through the Valley of Bacathey make it a place of springs;the early rain also covers it with pools.7 They go from strength to strength;each one appears before God in Zion.8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah9 Behold our shield, O God;look on the face of your anointed!10 For a day in your courts is betterthan a thousand elsewhere.I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my Godthan dwell in the tents of wickedness.11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;the LORD bestows favor and honor.No good thing does he withholdfrom those who walk uprightly.12 O LORD of hosts,blessed is the one who trusts in you! (ESV)

Are you going through a valley, a difficult time, a troubling situation, or adverse circumstances? Jesus promised that those who name His name would face unsettling times. Psalm 84 speaks of one of those valleys called the “Valley of Baca.”The Valley of Baca means the Valley of Weeping or the Valley of Tears. It is a place of sorrow and difficulty. The reason it was called “The Valley of Tears” is that the people of God would journey to Jerusalem in order to worship. The journey was perilous, difficult, fearful, and at times sorrowful. The terrain, the desert, and the presence of thieves made it a dangerous journey as well. In Psalm 84:6, God’s people are told to “Make it a well.” The idea is to discover God’s blessings in the midst of the worst of conditions. So how did they make a well, a place of blessing out of a place of sorrow? They turned to God. They trusted God. They allowed God to turn their troubles into blessings, as only He can do.That problem you are facing, that sorrow you are feeling may become the source of God’s blessings. The key is to walk in obedience to God’s will and surrender your valley’s to Him. These believers on their way to Jerusalem were obeying God and now the Psalmist is telling them to look for water, look for the springs, look for God’s blessing and provision. They were to dig a well. In Psalm 84:6 the first two words are encouraging: Passing Through.” You won’t stay in the Valley of Baca forever. Whether it’s your difficult situation or your whole life, it won’t be like it is now forever. Remember, this is not our home. Heaven is our home.Notice the Ways to Dig a Well in your Circumstances according to Psalm 84:I. Dig a Well by Prayer (Psalm 84:8)No matter what their circumstance they kept talking to God, realizing that through prayer they could experience power to help them get through the Valley of Baca. When you are confronted with difficult or sorrowful situations, stop what you are doing and cry out God asking for His intervention and wisdom.II. Dig a Well by Experiencing God’s Presence (Psalm 84:7b; 10)As these believers obeyed God, they experienced God’s precious presence. The meaning of the second part of verse 7 is they experienced God. It means a real contact with God. When you find yourself in a troubling moment pray, “God please let me be aware of Your presence right now. Let me know you are there.” Experiencing God’s presence has a transforming affect.III. Dig a Well by Standing on God’s Promises (Psalm 84: 11-12)There is the Valley of Baca and the promises of God. You will either give into your feelings and circumstances or you will rest on the promises of God by faith. The promise is God will not withhold anything that is good or beneficial from you as you walk in the center of His will. God’s definition of good and our definition of good may be different at times, but God always does what is absolutely the most beneficial for His child. You must let God decide what is good.IV. Dig a Well by Praising God (Psalm 84:4)In your difficult situation, begin praising God for Who He is. Your circumstances, as bad as they are, have not changed Who God is. Praise isn’t a feeling; it is a choice you make. As you choose to worship God, He lifts you above the circumstances as you announce through your praise that the problem may be bigger than you, but it is not bigger than God. Further praise confesses that God is in control.V. Dig a Well by Looking for God’s Provision (Psalm 84: 6b)You have to do your part. You must dig the well, however, when there is nothing else you can do, when the resources have run out, when there is no way out and no way through, God meets the need. God often won’t do what only He can do until we do everything we can do. When we come to the end of ourselves, then God can work. Someone has said, “God is not all you need until He is all you have.”VI. Dig a Well by Relying on God’s Power (Psalm 84:3, 9, 12)We serve an all-powerful God. In these verses we see that God is the Controller and Ruler of all. No one can defeat Him. Our strength comes from Him. As these believers walked through the difficulties obeying God they got stronger. Sometimes it takes a trial to strengthen our faith. The problem that could sink you, when it is turned over to God, can become the platform that blesses you.Realize today Wingman that your valley may become your greatest blessing. Trust God!