The Valley Doesn’t Destroy You — It Prepares You to Reign Forever With Him 🔥
What Psalm 23 Teaches us About Why God Leads Us Through Valleys — And How He Turns Suffering Into Glory
We love Psalm 23 when life feels good:
Green pastures. Still waters. Overflowing cups. 🌿☀️☕
The crisp, salty beach air in your lungs as you observe the endless blue horizon on a spring day.
The first sip of your perfect cup of coffee as the sun rises over the multicolored leaves on the majestic mountainside.
Moments when you feel like heaven has touched earth.
But valleys?
Darkness?
Terminal diagnoses?
Goodbye hugs at a graveside?
That’s when our faith is truly tested — and truly transformed.
Psalm 23 doesn't promise a life free of valleys.
It promises a Shepherd who leads us through them, because He walked through death first.
If you’re walking through suffering today, you're not alone.
You are being prepared for something far greater than you can yet see.
1. God Doesn't Skip the Valleys — He Walks Through Them With You
Psalm 23 says:
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." (v.4)
God never promised a life free from pain.
He promised His presence in the pain. 🙏
Real valleys existed in David’s day — dangerous, steep canyons where predators and robbers hid.
Real valleys exist today — cancer, betrayal, loneliness, depression.
The Shepherd’s goal isn’t to shield you from every hardship.
It’s to walk you through it — to something better, something eternal.
2. Jesus Walked the Hardest Valley First
"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." — John 10:11
Jesus entered the ultimate valley:
Betrayal. Torture. Abandonment. Death.
He didn’t stay safe on the sidelines.
He went first.
He suffered alone, so you would never suffer alone.
He died, so you could truly live.
He conquered death itself, so every valley you walk through now is a pathway to life, not a dead end.
3. Valleys Prepare You for Resurrection, Not Just Survival
Right now, your life is like a seed. 🌱
Fragile. Temporary. Full of hidden potential.
When suffering comes, it feels like dirt—pressure, darkness, being buried.
But God uses that dirt to grow something stronger.
"It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power." — 1 Corinthians 15:43
Without valleys:
We would cling to this broken world.
We would stay spiritually shallow.
We would never long for heaven.
Through valleys:
Our roots grow deep.
Our hope grows fierce.
Our souls are prepared to shine forever.
✨ Never Finished Challenge: Closer Than You Can Imagine
If you’re in a valley today, don't believe the lie that God has left you.
The Shepherd is closer in the valley than you ever imagined.
He is using even this—yes, even this—to prepare you for a life stronger, brighter, and more beautiful than anything you could dream. 🌄
Stay close to the Shepherd.
The valley isn’t the end.
It’s the beginning of glory.
Meditate on these three truths this week:
Psalm 23:4 — God walks with you through every valley.
John 10:11 — Your Shepherd has already conquered death for you.
2 Corinthians 4:17 — Your suffering is preparing you for eternal glory.
Speak aloud daily:
“I am not alone. He is with me. I am being made new every day.”
Bonus: Journal one way you see God's goodness chasing you — even if the road feels hard.
📝 What Does Today Say About God?
Psalm 23 paints a new Exodus journey through David’s eyes:
God is so gracious that He invites us to seek, find, and dwell with Him.
If He gave me every answer immediately, I might never sit down to listen.
Like a restless child, I might lose interest — and lose Him.
But He draws me in:
In the pastures,
By the quiet waters,
In the darkest valley,
When my enemies surround me.
Surely, He is good.
Surely, there is no better place to dwell
than in His house forever.
Thank You, Jesus. 🕊️