"And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.... And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water." Genesis 26:17,19 The plan of God takes us into valleys. I am excited to share this message with you. I have recently been through some deep valleys in my life. Maybe you have been there in your own lives. Valleys are not such a welcome place, at least to our flesh. Yet we find in this passage that Isaac found the well of living water in his valley. God supernaturally led me to a booklet by Pastor Stevens in that season. The title of the booklet is 'Victory in the Valleys.' I don't want to make the superficial confession that it's alright in the valleys. No, not at all. Valleys are tough, dark, uncertain looking places. Oftentimes, God seems hiding and future seems hopeless. Pastor Stevens says that the valleys are a place of exchange in our lives. There is a purpose of God in those valleys. We don't arrive there accidentally. We are faced with hindrances like our negative emotions, natural reactions, Satan's manipulation and superficial Christianity. The natural reaction that comes to us is to find a way out. Pastor Stevens continues to say that we can have a mature response of faith in our valleys. We want to go into every valley understanding that these are places of exchange. It is a place for me to say, "Lord, You're with me." The temporal things are exchanged for eternal life. I exchange the pain that stops me from hearing from God for the joy that becomes my strength. I exchange all the fears for His love, love that casts out all fear even when I'm wrong. I exchange all legalism, the natural laws that I have placed in my life to make myself something I can never make myself to be, I exchange all of that for the grace God gives me. As a result, I accept who I am and enter into the confidence of knowing that Christ is the Author and the Finisher of what He is doing in me. (Hebrews 12:2) You'll be amazed at the maturity level that God just keeps producing in your life. This growth is for a reason, and is sure to be a blessing to someone else. Our maturity intimidates Satan, because he knows he can't get to you like he used to get to you. After the valley, the things that once impeded your hearing from God aren't effective anymore.... Anxiety is now not a problem. Instead, there is an anticipation regarding the work of God in you. "OK, I've got to decrease again." you say in your heart. And that's great because it means that God is going to increase. God showed me in this passage the two things Isaac did in his valleys. First, he pitched his tent in the valley. Don't try to escape, don't run away, don't quit. Pitch your tent, Be still, know your position in Christ, stay in the Body of Christ, know that your place in the plan of God is permanent (Romans 11:49). There are sixty eight positional changes which God performed when you received Christ and none of those were your doings. You cannot loose any of those. Your salvation is secure. Once a child of God, you will always stay a child of God. You are accepted in the beloved and complete in Him. You are hid in Christ and God rejoices over you with singing. Your tent is pitched. Secondly, Jacob and his men digged. The went back to the old wells of Abraham. Old landmarks are amazing. Develop a habit of scribbling in your Bible when God speaks. Go over your notes you learned in first year of Bible school, ponder over the things the Lord spoke to you last you recollect. Dig into His promises in the Word. Do it by faith. Digging is an interesting process. Initially it's all dirt, and then some mud, and then some more trash. Often it seems endless. Open Romans 8, or Psalm 91, or any other passage which edifies you and spend long hours reading and pondering. Speak to God on your knees about these promises. He loves it when we bring His promises back to Him and hold Him accountable to His Word. Talk to God about the Cross on which He gave His Son for you. Wait, wait in expectation, and before you know it, you are going to hear Him whisper. The springs of living water are arriving. You will experience the exchange. Don't stop pitching your tent. Don't stop digging. PS - If you would like to enjoy a thought provoking spirituality quiz, then jump to our fun quiz page. You may also watch our YouTube videos. What about learning about life after death?