Valley of Weeping

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
	Psalm 84:5-7
The root of the word baca means “weeping.” We too, find ourselves going through tearful valleys. The tears we shed on our way to the house of the Lord - toward Heaven, ultimately - form pools that provide refreshment for others on their own pilgrimage. That is why Paul would write, “Blessed be the Father of mercy, the God of all comfort who comforts us in our trouble in order that we may be able to comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received (see 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). You can’t be a comforter unless you’ve been comforted. And you can’t be comforted unless you’ve been uncomfortable. So God allows us the privilege of being made uncomfortable from time to time, to walk through the valley of Baca, so that the One who wipes away every tear can minister deeply to us in order that we can help others (Revelation 21:4). The Lord is so good to allow us to experience what Paul calls the fellowship of suffering (Philippians 3:10) that we might help others and let them know the Lord will see them through, even as He has done for us.

An excerpt from "Footsteps of the Flock" by Pastor Jon. "Footsteps of the Flock" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the Old Testament books of Joshua through Malachi.