Psalm 84 is a psalm of pilgrimage traditionally associated with the journey that many ancient Israelites would make to the temple at Jerusalem at least once a year for the Passover or any other of the regular feast seasons. As such, the psalm presents a poetic picture of the journey of life as a kind of pilgrimage. It is a journey in which we grow closer to God every day as we walk with him on the path that he has laid out for us. That pathway inevitably leads through “the Valley of Baca” (the desolate valley of ‘weeping’). The insight that the psalm offers at this point is profound. As we journey through life our goal must always be to draw closer to God and to walk with him. We should not ‘navigate’ to avoid trouble. The pathway of God often leads through times of trouble and hardship. We won’t always know why this is, but at least part of the reason for this is that it is our job to bring God’s blessing to places of trouble. Whatever place of trouble you go through, you can be sure that others will go there too, and God wants you to bring light to dark places. So, the psalm tells us that, if we keep our focus on God, when we pass through the desolate valley of weeping, we will make it a place of springs. This means that the richest fruit of the Spirit will not grow out of your triumphs, but out of your suffering. Many people will be nourished by what you grow in the valley of tears.
Ask God to make you a blessing in your present situation.
Read Psalm 84
