1.     We are alone. We believe no one sees us or cares.

2.     We start to believe this situation is hopeless.

3.     This is forever.

 Perhaps your list is a bit different. These are the ones I have struggled with when I have found myself in a valley, either because of something happening to me or someone I love. What we believe in a valley matters as it helps determine how long you will be there.

 Even in a valley, there is beauty, we just have no eyes or perhaps, the capacity to see it. The last summer my son was drinking, I was definitely in this valley. I was exhausted and felt like I could not go on. We had gone up to our summer place and then I went for a walk alone. I found a quiet place by the water and listened.

 I could hear the birds sing and the waves of the lake moving back and forth as they always do. I noticed the wildflowers blooming all around me. Life was going on and I was not seeing it before this moment. I had allowed my sorrow to consume me. I felt lonely and I guess I can see why. I was not exactly a magnet for people. I had nothing to give.

 That was the summer I began to write out the scripture verses which spoke of faith. I don’t think it would have mattered what the topic of the verses would have been. It was this practice that God used to usher hope back into my life though nothing had changed with our boy.

 One of my favorite verses that speaks comfort to me is this; Lamentations 3:23-26 “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this; The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never end! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’ The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. “

 The beautiful thing you will notice in these verses, there is no mention of “except when”. His mercy is new every single morning no matter what we are facing. His faithfulness endures no matter what. Nothing is overwhelming to God. He can manage whatever you are facing. You will never hear God say - “ I am sorry, this is just too hard for me. I have no idea what I can do.”

That is good news for all of us! Our hope is not in the circumstance/loved one that got us into the valley – our hope is in God. He will help us and show us the way forward. He loves you and sees you. He is there with you, and you are not alone, not even for one moment. He does not abandon his own.