God's Strength

Psalm 84 is a pilgrimage psalm where the psalmist expresses his longing to be in God’s presence in the temple in Jerusalem. We don’t know for sure, but his access to the temple may have been cut off due to a military incursion by a hostile neighbor. Regardless of the regional tensions, the psalmist speaks of a “Valley of Baca,” a place of dryness and desolation that stood between him and the temple. What is the dry place, the difficulty, that you are facing right now? The psalmist acknowledges that it is possible to turn the Valley of Baca into a place of springs. I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to turn my dry places into places of life and abundance. What was the psalmist’s secret? Those who find their strength in God and who have set their hearts on pilgrimage can transform the Valley of Baca into a place of springs. As we seek the Lord and rely on Him for strength, we will experience his life, hope, and peace, even as we walk through the valleys.

I appreciate Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving after God provides a son. One of the themes in her prayer is that it is not by human strength that one prevails (1 Samuel 2:9-10). She saw it firsthand when God answered her heartfelt prayer for a child. Yet, Hannah extends her application of the lesson to more universal matters. We need to do our part, but ultimately, it’s God’s strength, often working through His people, that will make a lasting difference.

This theme reminds me of one of my favorite passages in Zechariah 4:6-9. Zerubbabel had already laid the foundation of the temple. However, the daunting task of actually building the structure itself lay before him. As leaders, we regularly face significant challenges as we seek to follow God’s truth and His leading in our lives. God’s word to us is: “You can’t do it in the way I desire in your own strength, but with the help of My Spirit, you can.”