The Valley of Baca
Psalm 84:1-8 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.
A. THE PILGRIM ONLY PASSES THROUGH THE VALLEY.
Psalm 84:6a As they pass through the Valley of Baka…
Ruth 1:20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.
Job 6:8-13 “Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut off my life! Then I would still have this consolation— my joy in unrelenting pain— that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
B. THE PILGRIM FINDS REST IN THE VALLEY OF BACA.
Psalm 84:6b …they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
C. THE PILGRIM INCREASES IN STRENGTH IN THE VALLEY OF BACA.
Psalm 84:7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
Don’t forget, while you are in the valley…
1) You are only passing through
2) You can find rest
3) You can find strength