The thought that is before us is “appointed.” God is in charge of all Providence, all appointments, in our daily lives. Job said in Job 23:13-14, “But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. (14) For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.” (Job 23:13-14)

Once this truth is applied to your heart, you are equipped for the Valley that is headed your way, or that you are even walking in this very hour. To know that God is in charge of your steps brings a peace to your soul when you are faced with circumstances that you have no power to change; circumstances that cause you to suffer loneliness, depression, fear, doubt, loss of confidence, and even your own freedom. To know that you are not in charge of your daily activities; to know that you are locked up in your own addictions; when you have no power within yourself to overcome your Valley of Baca (tears). Then to know that God has a plan for you, for your good, even in the midst of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, will bring you to a complete dependence upon Him. For it is in the Valley that He restores your soul; it is here that He leads you in the paths of Righteousness; and it is in the fiery furnace that you learn fellowship with God.

One of the child of God’s problems when he is in a Valley is understanding that God is God, even in his troubles. God’s promises are valid, and these promises will be made a reality in the daily experiences of the Valley. That God is a God of Appointment. That there is nothing that comes his way that did not go through God before it came to him.

Another problem with the child of God in the Valley is, not only knowing God is in charge, but being empowered to accept God’s appointment and to submit to God’s teaching for him in this Valley.

Then, lastly, he must come to know that he must walk in the Valley. That is, he must lift up his head and experience the fulfillment that God is teaching him to walk by faith. That God is changing and conforming him in the whole process of the Valley. That God is purifying His vessel to be fit for the Master’s use. That unless he is a doer of God’s Word in the Valley, then his senses will not be exercised therein, and he will not yield that peaceable fruit of Righteousness.

The Valley is to restore; to lead in the paths of Righteousness; to know of the power of the Spirit of God that lives within a believer; to know the victory that a believer can have in the midst of the Valley. It is the place of change and conforming, and not of destruction for the believer.

Are you in a Valley today? If your answer is yes, then you are not here by mistake. You are walking in an appointment of God. Examine yourself and see what led you to this Valley. Examine your fellowship with God. Once you enter the Valley, there is no turning back. Therefore turn to God; confess your sins; submit to God; obey His Commandments; and know that God loves you, and it is all for your good and His Glory. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

(This devotional was previously posted on December 16, 2010.)