Held in Sacred Shadows

Many years ago, I found myself sitting in a quiet space, penning a description of a dark, suffocating valley. At the time, I didn't fully understand what I was writing. I didn't know that God was speaking directly to my heart, letting me know in advance that He had a purpose in what was coming.

He was preparing me. He was letting me know that no matter how dark the terrain ahead would get, He was already there, watching, waiting, and purposing to use it for something I could not yet see.

This is the exact message He whispered to my soul before the storm began:

The Valley

The valley is dark, and echoes of despair whisper softly; hidden discouragement, subdued, tucked away in silence—cries unheard, and a voice unable to speak.

Suffering lingers like shadows that fall, casting the blackness of night over everything. Emptiness fills the air like a thick fog that you can almost touch, and aloneness, like a vast hollow, surrounds you.

Lost deep in the heart of the forest, every place looks the same—crowded and closing

in—with no pathway, no answer, no way out; only the sounds of your own heart breaking.

Fear rushes in like a flood, a raging river that’s come to sweep you away in its

undercurrent. Held captive in its power, you surrender all hope, destined to die here.

But there is an ever-present One who has been with you, waiting and watching for you

to recognize Him.

Someone who knows every hill and rock and square inch of this rugged terrain… with all of its hidden dangers and pitfalls, and every steep climb, cliff, and dead end. Able to carry us through its powerful torrents, shelter us in the midst of its earth shattering storms—the only One who knows the way out of this no man’s land.

He reaches His hand out through the cold black air of night; the thick tar mist parts and disappears like a vapor, and reveals a nail-pierced hole.

Suddenly, an indescribable tenderness fills the air; an unspoken love quiets my fears. A gentle voice softly speaks the words:

“Will you trust Me? I know the way that you take; the price of pain and suffering…

Will you take My hand and allow Me to walk you through? When you cannot see Me, will you listen for My voice and trust that I am near? That I will be with you wherever you are and at all times—will you believe in Me?

Will you place your life in My hands during this journey until we are finally together forever? Will you rest in My Love and Power, and guard your mind with My Truth?

If so, then you will have nothing to fear. My Grace will sustain you; My peace will sweetly kiss your cheek and breathe full assurance upon your heart, and My Love and Presence will never leave you… ever!”

Finding Him in the Ongoing Storm

It took many years for me to truly understand the weight of those words.

If you are reading this and waiting for the storm to clear so you can finally write your "happy ending," I want to share a profound truth with you: My storm hasn't been removed.

Even up to this exact moment in time, the winds are still blowing. But inside of this trial, He has revealed so much to me. He has taught me far more than I could have ever imagined, causing me to know Him much more intimately than I ever would have otherwise.

Because the storm remains, I have learned what it truly means to depend upon and lean on Him every single day. The valley didn't destroy me; it drove me into His arms. If you are standing in a crowded, closing-in forest today, unable to see the way out,

take His hand. His grace is sustaining me daily, and it will sustain you, too.

He is the Gentle Keeper of my sorrows; Where my tears fall, His Love remains.

He is the hand that holds through every valley. I rest beneath the wings of His eternal help.

When the shadows fall His light remains. And in the quiet He holds me.

He is my strength in the storm; And His nearness is my good.

Take comfort in His words today:

"He is the hand that holds through every valley."

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10

"I rest beneath the wings of His eternal help."

“Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.” — Psalm 57:1-2

"He is my strength in the storm;"

“The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” — Psalm 118:14

"And His nearness is my good."

“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.” — Psalm 73:28

Whatever valley you are walking through today, please know that you do not walk it alone. Which of these promises does your heart need to rest in right now? May you feel His deeply personal love holding you close in the quiet, and may His unwavering strength carry you through the storm.