As a believer, I’m sure you’ve had your share of valley experiences. I know I certainly have. Sometimes these difficult periods can last for just a short while; you have a dark day or two, the sun comes out again and you head back to life as normal. But there are those times when you feel like you’ll be stuck in that valley forever, it begins to feel like your permanent place of residence day after day, and you long for the dark clouds to part and give way to brighter days.

I recently came across a song by Samantha Ebert called Flowers, that speaks so clearly to these valley experiences we sometimes find ourselves in. She explained that she wrote the song while being in a hospital bed with a chronic illness; and that while she had to be away from family and friends day in and day out, the flowers she received from loved ones brought her such peace and comfort it prompted the lyrics to the now popular song.

The lyrics of the song are so pure and powerful, it reminds us that, though we may not always enjoy the dark days where we’re hidden away from the world, they are sometimes necessary for our spiritual growth; and there’s an overall beauty at the end of the hiatus even though we’re not able to see it at that moment.

As human beings, we always want to be in control of the things that concern us, and when we can’t, we at least want to know the reason why. Unfortunately, that isn’t always possible. Sometimes we may be able to make sense of a situation while we’re in it, and in other instances it’ll only make sense in hindsight, after we’ve come through it and are out on the other side.

I especially love the lyrics of the song that says: “I’m a good God and I have a good plan, so trust that I’m holding a watering can. And some day you’ll see that flowers grow in the valley.” because it’s such a heartfelt response to so many things in our lives that we may not be able to understand or explain. The many “Why Lords?” we may ask with no justifiable answer at the end to satisfy our bruised souls. “Trust me,” the Lord says, “I have your best interest at heart at the end of it all.”

In God’s Word we’re admonished to be calm and patient in the midst of suffering. “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” Romans 12: 12 (KJV) And the fact that it’s an admonishment means that whatever we’re enduring is not meant to take us under or make us miserable just for the sake of being miserable, it’s meant to make us stronger, to build character, refine us.

Even for those of you who might be feeling unseen at the moment, hidden away in the background as you labor for the Lord day after day; your hard work seemingly unnoticed by those around you. Take heart that it’s in the dark, quiet places that beauty dwells, and the Lord sees you where you are.

At the end of the day, we cannot long for the testimony without wanting to go through the tests, we cannot yearn for glory without never having to sometimes experience the pain or sacrifice that goes along with it; and we cannot want the beauty of those flowers in the valley without being willing to endure the experiences associated with that beauty, whatever form they may come in.

So…