Seeing Backward

Seeing Backward

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman

"O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed" (Ps 30:7).


It is often difficult to recognize the hand of God when we are in the midst of adversity. We often feel God has hidden His face from us. When the Lord takes us through deep valleys, there will be fruit from the deep valley that we cannot see. You must press into Him with all you have during this time.


God uses the deep valley to frame our lives to create a change in our nature, not just a change in habits. The depth and width of our valley is often an indicator of the level of calling and influence we will have on others in the future. Our adversity is not just for us, but others who will be in our future path of influence. This is not very comforting when you are in the middle of the valley, but know this is a truth in the Kingdom.


It is often years later when we discover the wisdom of God and why He intentionally led us through the dark valley. Life is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back at through valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life while we were there. "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22). When you begin to realize this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.


Do you find yourself in the valley? Now is the time to fully trust Him to guide you to higher ground.



Today's Prayer



For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ~ Psalm 91:11-12. God, this is one of my favorite comforts from your Word. I pray and trust that you will command your angels concerning me, my family, my friends, my pastors and their families, that through your power and your command guardian angels will be around about to protect us and lift us up so that we will not “strike our feet against stones.” Please protect us from all harm and evil. Help us remain pure and devoted to you. And for those I know and love who are fighting addictions of various types, I pray that you will give them strength and power to overcome and that guardian angels will protect them and keep them from stumbling. In the name of Jesus I pray and give you thanks, amen.




Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.