Finding Jewels in the Valley Walk

his article was written in fall of 2005, but it is relevant today for all that are going through difficult times.

All of us go through trials and tribulations. Our home has been going through a valley for almost 2 years now... in the midst of it all, Yah has been teaching and growing me in His faith and His Spirit. I just wanted to share a bit of a vision He gave me while I walk in this valley... it is a blessing or ‘jewel’ if you will, that I have treasured along this difficult walk that I would like to share with you… treasure it as I have.

It has been hard to see Yah's mountain on the other side of this mucky valley... my muck boots keep getting stuck in the mire of Satan's devastation. Daily I encounter a new area of quicksand and other obstacles. I was considering this one day and thinking about how it sounds when you pull your boot out of the mud and then place it down again...you know the sound. That's how I feel as I walk this valley floor. I have told Abba so many times, "There better be a HUGE BLESSING at the other end of this valley, Lord!" Yet, as I looked far into the future I saw no end to the valley!

With each step and each day I get closer to the Father, closer to His blessings. I find that I can’t even lift my foot without His help. I am not able to lift my head to see the mountain in the distance without His help. Facing another day in this valley is devastating, yet He is with me without fail. I have to go to Him every morning, every day, every moment just to stand. I can only go on with Yah, not a single thought can manifest without His help. As I get closer to the Mountain from whence cometh my help; I am finally seeing the shadowy hint of a mountain in the far distance. Every so often, I see the Son's light glimmer on something on the side of the mountain. The more I trust in Him, the stronger my faith gets, and the more clearly I see that the tiny sparkles on the side of the mountain are increasing in number and brilliance!

I am on a blessing treasure hunt as I walk the valley... I find small blessings, pearls of great price, hidden in the muck and mire throughout the valley floor. As I find one, I grasp it and hide it in my heart, admiring it often as I walk this difficult journey. I am so tired, I am dirty, I feel weary, yet I walk, thinking that I must be the only one out here. I find another tiny pearl. And another jewel, one that shines like a sapphire. I pick each precious blessing up, and admire what Yah has done, giving Him praise and honor. I cherish each blessing, not knowing when the next one will be found or if I will even notice while I sink into the muck with each step. It is hard to search for the jewels when you are busy looking at the muck!

I look again toward the mountain. More twinkling lights are visible now and the mountain is getting larger. What was once a vast flatland, is now giving way to the mountain. It’s shadow is getting closer. I think again of the blessing the Father has for me in this glimmering mountain looming in the horizon. I look at the muck and up again, between each step. Each time I look, I can see more and more glittering stars in the mountain. Suddenly, I feel elated! Yah reveals to me that He does not have a Huge Blessing on the other side of this valley, He has a Mountain of Blessings instead! The tiny blessings that I found along the way, make up the wholeness of the mountain in the distance. Abba does not have a huge blessing, but an abundance of blessings waiting for my arrival at the end of this adventure, at the end of this difficult valley walk. His promise to me is to do exceedingly abundantly above all I can ask or think. (Eph 3) All He asks of me is to stick close to His side and look for the flickers of blessings He sets out for me along the way to encourage and remind me that He is always there, I am never alone!

Keep looking for the treasure in the muck and watch for the glimmer of Yah's light shinning on the mountain side in the distance! He has a mountain of blessings awaiting your arrival!

I pray that this encourages anyone else going through a valley and seeking the Father daily to make it through as much as it has encouraged me to live it and believe it!

Weeds

What happens when the weeds grow up? The veggies don't grow! I know this from experience. Our garden wasn't tended to very well this year. Life just kept getting in the way! Business was "happenin'" both on the farm and in my life.  What a lesson! Let's look at the spiritual significance of this.

I plowed the field, made rows, and planted the garden (read my word, studied, and built a good foundation) . I weeded every couple days to keep the weeds down so that the small plants could grow strong in the new beds (I prayed to the Father daily, confessed my sin, kept the feasts and the mitzvot). But then I was distracted by life and the things that needed my attention. They were important; taking care of grandpa, Shelly's dr. appointments, errands, etc (distractions pull us away from reading the word regularly, spending quiet time with the Father, keeping the mitzvot and feasts, prayer, praise and worship). The weeds grew up and one day when I went out to see if the garden yielded any veggies, I found few veggies and lots of weeds (so the sin, left unchecked, had stifled me from producing fruit, I found myself being lax on mitzvot and feasts, prayer and no time to read my word).

In a war setting, soldiers can be distracted by the sights and sounds they hear and they will loose sight of the mission. In the army the soldiers must go through training that causes them to loose all of their senses and they must stay focused... so they hear loud music, prayers, sirens, sergeants yelling at them. They are in a black out situation where they have to secure rooms that they can't see.This is the say way we have to be, our senses will be bombarded by the enemy, we have to remain focused no matter how we might feel or what our eyes and ears are experiencing. This will be a key lesson when we come into the end times!