deep valleys, lush, green new growth

I've known the Lord for 32 years this last month. It seems sometimes like I'd have some of the hard stuff down.... Not so. Days bring contemplations of all kinds. Some contemplations that seem somewhat trivial...those you can handle on your own. Some days bring hard contemplation. The kind that forces you to act out what you believe even when you (and your heart) may not really feel like it. Do I trust Him? Do I believe He's sovereign even over this--whatever this is? Personally, I don't enjoy those times, but really, in retrospect, they are when my faith grows ever stronger and more personal. Mountaintop experiences are what we all love. Have you ever really thought about the fact the the extreme climate on mountaintops is not conducive to much growth...few trees, small clumps of sparse vegetation. However, the valley is lush and green and flourishing with water to nourish. Hear that? the valley! We all go there at sometime...it's the natural ebb and flow of life. I really don't like the valley, however I love what happens after I've been there. I'm refreshed and ready to climb again...stronger than before. The valley can feel really lonely. I know that I'm not alone, ever, no matter how I feel. The Lord is with me all the time. Sometimes that loneliness comes from too many things crowding Him out. While it's unsettling, it's so good to be alone in our struggles...they are so personal. No one can really understand what the Almighty already knows about me. When the feelings of isolation come for me it's usually because the seen has crowded out the unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18) I hope to be able to shed the scales and SEE with the eyes His Holy Spirit makes available to me...the unseen, the part I need not fear because He has seen it and holds it in His hands. When I am alone in these personal trials and times, He chips away the unnecessary and soothes me with His balm. He speaks to me in the quiet like no other time. His voice is worth the struggle...just to hear that which spoke the whole world into being...spoken to my heart! Amazing...the sound I'll never tire of no matter how many valleys or mountaintops lie ahead! ♥

"Now that I hear you Lord, I wanna know you more. Sing Your song to me...there's no better thing than to listen to the sound of your voice...when I hear your song, I wanna sing along...."