“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 42:11 David went through many times of testing and one of the most discouraging…
“So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath…
Sarah was identified by God as the “mother of nations.” But for so many years, she had been childless. The promise of God was spoken to Abraham, but as time passed, she felt forgotten and forsaken. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of…
I love jigsaw puzzles. Finding the edge pieces to make the frame. Looking at the colors and shapes to find the exact fit. I love separating the pieces, so the actual assembling of the puzzle goes quickly. I often refer to the box lid to be sure everything is going…
Have you ever had one of those days when you’re feeling all the emotions? One evening, as I was walking my dog, I felt my emotions rising to the surface. They had been simmering within me for a while. Disappointment. Discouragement. Worry. Anger. I doubted my purpose. I wondered if…
Do you ever feel like there’s something standing in the way of your relationship with God? One day during my morning devotionals, I was trying to pray. Maybe you’ve had similar days, when you’re trying to actively seek His presence and hear from Him, but nothing seems to happen. The…
“I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted” (Psalm 88:15 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible). This Psalmist had endured affliction from an early age. His remembrance of it seems to go back to childhood. His…
“And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called The Valley of Beracah, unto this day.” (2 Chronicles 20:26 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible)
Ever been in the valley of discouragement? I have. It’s not fun!
In our devotional verse, the Valley of Beracah is called a blessing. Jehoshaphat gathered his troops up early one morning and gave them a pep talk about believing God and the prophets. He did a strange thing that day by ordering a choir to march ahead of the troops, singing and giving thanks to God.
Because of the shouting and praising, God set ambushes against their enemies. The enemy became confused and killed each other before Judah got there. There was so much equipment, clothing and valuables that it took three days to carry away all the spoils of victory. On the fourth day, they celebrated in the valley of Berachah and called it the Valley of Blessing.
Praise will get you victory even in the valley!
Prayer: Today, Lord, I’m in the valley but Your Word tells me that the valley is where you restore my soul. Victory is coming if I just keep praising Your name! Thank You for the valley of blessing! Amen!
Devotion by Kaye Singleton