How wonderful it is to be on this journey into God, of coming into the house of God, to be one with God and even to become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead!
In Psalm 84:4-5 we see that we need to be those who have the highways of Zion in their heart; right after this, there’s “the valley of Baca”, the valley of weeping, which we make it in a spring!
As we have the intention to and come into the church life, opposition and persecution happens, which causes us to weep. These tears become a spring, the early rain, bringing in the Spirit as the blessing! How wonderful and how precious this is!
Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring
Psa. 84:6-7 says, “Passing through the valley of Baca, They make it a spring; Indeed the early rain covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength; Each appears before God in Zion.”
On the one hand we are strengthened into our inner man by God to have the intention to come into the church life, and we make a strong decision to take the way of the church internally and not only externally.
On the other hand, we are opposed by Satan, who causes us to suffer persecution.
Maybe someone in your family, some of your friends, or someone at work gives you a hard time, even persecuting you, for being a believer or coming into the church life. This persecution and trouble causes our “highway to Zion” to become “a valley of weeping”, where we shed tears.
The trouble and persecution that are caused by Satan can make the highways a valley of weeping. But as we pass through this valley of Baca, God makes it a valley of spring (see Col. 1:24 and Heb. 10:34), which is the spring of the Spirit (John 4:14; 7:38-39).
Actually, the more we weep on the highways to Zion, the more we receive the Spirit; while we are weeping, we are being continually filled with the Spirit, and the Spirit becomes our spring.
Our tears caused by the persecution and suffering become a spring, and this spring becomes the early rain that covers the valley of tears with blessings!
The way of the church is not cheap or superficial
The truth is that you can be a Christian today and not many people may know that; you can be a believer and not many would notice that. But once you come into the church life, into the house of God, the tabernacle of God, taking the way of the church internally (and not only externally), persecution arises!
When we take a strong decision to take the way of the church life internally and experience the processed and consummated Triune God, these highways to Zion may become many times the valley of Baca, with many tears because of the persecution and the sufferings.
The highways to Zion is not superficial or cheap; the way of the church life demands a price that we need to pay. It is not external, superficial, or cheap. If we wouldn’t care for Christ and the church that much, we wouldn’t suffer; but as we care for the church life, we will partake of the sufferings needed for the building up of the Body of Christ.
We will have sufferings related to the church, related to God’s economy, some misunderstandings from your family because you stand for the church, etc – and you may shed tears….
But the Lord turns those tears to be the Spirit! You will be all the more filled with the Spirit and released in your spirit that you may flow!
How does the valley of weeping become a place of springs?
How does the valley of weeping become a place of springs? Is God “magically and miraculously” making it this way, without our cooperation, our working together with Him?
In Psa. 84:6-7 it says that “THEY will make it” – it depends on us, it is up to us. If we turn away from the church life when the sufferings and persecutions come, we will still be in the valley of Baca, and we will shed tears.
But if we are faithful to the Lord at any cost, if we even tell Him, “Lord, I want to be here in the church life at any cost – I want to go on with You!” – we will make the valley of tears into a spring!
It all depends on our attitude – when everything is fine in the church, when all the saints are so good and exercised, we may love the church life.
But when situations arise, when the brothers and the sisters may not seem so lovable and pleasant to you, when there may be some problems or persecutions – what will you do then?
Will you quit? Will you leave the church life? Will you go away and go back to “the church of your choice”? We need to be careful – it is our responsibility, as with many other things in life, that we would make the valley of weeping into springs of water where the Spirit may flow!
If we pity ourselves, if we blame ourselves, or if we seek other’s sympathising with our being in the valley of weeping, we will remain here in the valley.
But if we lift our eyes unto Zion and do not give up, do not quit, do not look at people but set our eyes on Zion, our tears become a spring! WE will turn them into a spring!
This kind of experiences of persecution, sufferings, misunderstandings, matched with our setting our eyes on Zion – though filled with tears – become a deeper experience of Christ in the church life.
From us there will be rivers of living water flowing to water others and supply the saints!
Lord, keep us coming to You in all our problems, all the persecutions, and all sufferings! Keep us going on with You, Lord, on the highways to Zion! We want to go on, go forward, toward Zion. Strengthen us to pay the price of our self, our natural man, and even our own feelings and desires, that we may gain the Spirit as the early rain! Oh, Lord, save us from pitying ourselves or blaming others – we want to Set Our Eyes on Zion!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from the life-study of Psalms, and, Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms (ch. 14), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on the Crystallization-Study of Psalms (2), week 14.
- Also recommended: the footnotes on Psa. 84:6-7 (Recovery Version);
- Hymns on this topic:
# Zion Highways, Our heart’s longing, Though pass through Baca valley yet not cease, / All loss count we, Refuse, rubbish; Care for God’s interests, vision ever heed.
# How lovely is Thy dwelling place… Stanza 5 says, Passing the weeping valley they / Make it a place of springing wells; / The rain with blessings covers it / And in the way God’s mercy tells (Hymns #851)
# Olives that have known no pressure / No oil can bestow; / If the grapes escape the winepress, / Cheering wine can never flow (Hymns #626) - Picture source: The Valley of Baca, a very dry place, the valley of tears.
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