If you are a Christian, and you find yourself in the valley of suffering, it is because God has brought you there to bless you. The following is a clip from a sermon called, The Valley of Achor. As you listen to it, keep in mind that it is pulling from the following passage.
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. – Hosea 2:14-15
The following is the transcript of the video edited for easier reading.
Sometimes God takes the godliest amongst us, and he says, “I’m going to bless you. Are you ready to grow?” Then we get excited and say, “Yes, Lord, this is what I want,” and he says, “You see that valley? That is where we are going. Do not worry; in this valley, you will hear me tell you how much I love you in ways you can never experience on the mountain. This Valley of Achor is a door of hope.”
I know you guys have been there. I have seen some of you suffer week after week after week with illnesses and issues, and I see you up here singing in the choir. Why are you there? Because in the Valley of Achor, you hear the Lord telling you how much he loves you. That is why you serve. I watch some of you deal with severe and chronic pain, and your light shines brighter because of it. You meet Jesus in the valley.
I follow someone on Twitter who always amazes me. I have followed him for about a year, and every time this man sends out a tweet. It is rich and profound, and it points you to Jesus. I did not know this about him, but this Friday night I read a tweet he put out. He said. “For the last 23 years of my ministry, I have suffered with spiritual depression,” and I went, “Ah, no wonder.” That is why he has something to say because, in that Valley of Achor, he finds a door of hope, and God speaks to him.
I have seen some of you lose loved one after loved one after loved one, and because of it, you can speak to the grieving in ways the rest of us cannot. The Valley of Achor is a door of hope. If you are suffering today, I pray one of the reasons the Lord put you here is because he wanted you to hear his word tell you he loves you. “Trust me. I’ve got this. Your suffering is not in vain.”
-D. Eaton
If you would like to listen to the full sermon you can do so at the following links
The Fight of Faith 