Digging Deeper
“How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord. Even when their path winds through the dark valley of tears, they DIG DEEP to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain.” (Psalm 84:5-6, TPT)
The job of digging is hard. Whether it’s digging a flower bed in your yard, or digging to the deepest places of your heart…it’s hard work. But having to dig deep is excruciating when you are walking through a dark season or a “valley of tears.” When all your energy is gone, your emotions are unraveled, your tears that flow constantly…the Psalmist promises us that in those most difficult of times if we dig deep enough, we’ll find a place of refreshing, a place of rest and renewal, a “pleasant pool.” But we have to dig deep to find it.
Just a few years ago, I found myself in a season of the “the dark valley of tears.” Everything seemed to be caving in on me. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to accomplish all that I had to do, and there wasn’t enough of “me” to go around to all the people that needed something from me. The dark valley I found myself walking through was in both my work life and my personal life. I didn’t have the energy to even start digging, much less dig deep.
I did, however, know that I had to trust God to do what only He could do, but I had to also be faithful in doing what only I could do… and that was to DIG DEEP. No one else could dig like I could dig, so figuratively speaking, I picked up my shovel and started digging.
There are no quick fixes when you’re walking through the dark valley. It’s your choice as to whether you’re going to dig deep. There is no magical prayer that will get you out of that valley, but as Psalms tells us: there is an action step on our part-- start digging and determine to go DEEP.
The key to digging deep is to not stop. Don’t stop at the first layer or even the second one. In order to find the true treasure, you have to go to that uncomfortable place, get your hands dirty, and start digging.Nothing of significant value is ever found at the surface.
The same goes for our hearts. Though there might be pain, confusion, doubt, fear, wounds, and gaping holes at the surface of our hearts, that does not mean that there isn’t freedom, wholeness, redemption, clarity, and purpose beneath the surface. What does digging deep look like when you’re walking through the dark valley of tears? In my experience over all these years, this is what it has looked like for me:
Don’t stop moving forward. Don’t stop and settle in that valley. Keep moving… keep praying… keep digging for something good to be found, even in the midst of great pain.
God’s Word is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path.” Psalm 119:105 NIV
It shines just far enough for us to see our next step. Be faithful with your next step. And make sure your next step is forward, not backward.
Don’t stop reading. Keep reading God’s Word (the Bible) until something on those pages speak to you. And that may take some time. If you don’t know where to begin reading in the Bible, start reading in Psalms. An entire book of the Bible that’s full of emotions, mountain tops and valleys. You’ll be surprised by how much you will be able to relate to the words of Psalms.
Don’t stop praying. Continue to pray even if it feels like no one is hearing you. Keep talking with God, keep pouring out your heart to Him. He is listening, He is moving on your behalf, and He is working on what’s burdening your heart. Digging deep takes time, and it’s going to take some serious bravery and strength to not give in and to not throw in the towel. But that’s the very thing the enemy wants us to do-- give up.
Sweet friend, don’t let the enemy win! God is doing too much. He is restoring, redeeming, reviving our hearts even when we don’t see it and even when we might not feel it. It’s going to take guts, it’s going to take bravery, and serious faith to believe what God is doing over our current emotions.
Walking out of a dark valley takes time, and it’s going to be hard, but it will be worth it in the end! Be patient with yourself through the process. There will be some bad days, but good days will come. Don’t stop digging…DEEP.
So friend, get your tools ready, put your gloves on, and on start doing what you were born to do… DIG DEEP! And one day without even realizing it, you will find that you made it to that pleasant pool… just like I did!!