WORSHIP YOUR WAY OUT OF THE SHADOWS!

My husband Tom and I have shared a wonderful 45 years of life together.  We have the luxury of shared interests, shared values, shared goals, shared vision for life, and most precious among those shared things is a shared passion for worship. Not just in song and praise – but worship as a center in life!

This year was conceivably the worst year of our lives.  Recently, Tom wrote the following words on social media:

“In just a few hours from now, it will be exactly one year to the minute that the phone rang, and Brenda and I would receive the very worst phone call of our lives... EVER!  Suddenly, he was just gone. Not a last word or a “Hey, before you go…”  JUST. GONE.  We had spoken to and hugged our son, Timothy, for the last time. He had survived three deployments to Afghanistan - Purple Hearts and all... only to be killed in a motorcycle accident in an instant.” This started our New Year… our new life… on January 30, 2024. But 2024 was not done with dealing us gut-punching blows that knocked the wind out of us. It would hold still other besetting

“once-in-a-lifetime” devastations that took our breath again and again.

Like many of you who will read this – we are people of faith and hope and joy and light and trust and purpose, and prayer and…well, you know. But in an instant, all that seemed swallowed up in a valley of shadows. And… we are not those who think we are unique or somehow exempted from the worst realities of life – nor are we the faint of heart who cower reactively. But what do you do when your “want” to move forward is paralyzed by a seeming absence of strength to “run the race” before you, and all you have is a residue faith to take one excruciating and exhausted “next-step” at a time?  Will we choose for our next step to be an act of faith… as we somehow manage to use our seemingly last drop of strength from this nearly empty reservoir?

Here is what we learned… WORSHIP.

Worship in the Valley of Shadows is a Choice. Period. 2 Samuel 12:20 (NASB95)

So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped.

There is no greater act of worship than obedience… and there is no greater moment of obedience than to worship from the inside out, when everything on the outside seems to contradict what’s on the inside!

Worship in the Valley of Shadows is Daring and Fearless! Psalm 137:2–3 (NASB95)

2 Upon the willows in the midst of it, We hung our harps. 3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Should I let my heart sing again, hope again, pray again, when these devastating circumstances dare me to try! It is in this valley of despair I heard the taunting voices of hell… Just hang up your worship, hang up your song!    

And once again, the WORD within me gave birth to daring and fearless possibilities I couldn’t imagine, as I heard the voice of the Spirit… “Don’t Ever Hang up Your Worship… Even when Life Taunts You for Trying!”

Worship in the Valley of Shadows Imposes Itself on the Darkness! Psalm 57:6–8 (NASB95)

6 … My soul is bowed down; They dug a pit before me; They themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Selah. 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

In the midst of darkness hovering around me, I found that Worship awakens the dawn of hope and calls an end to the night! I didn’t have to wait for the sun to come up!  I Insisted on it!

So when you find yourself in the Valley of Shadows…

… In the very worst moments of life, WORSHIP!

… Choose the voice you will listen to!

… Be daring and fearless!

… Steady your heart on God! Impose your praise on the circumstances!  Then get a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunrise! Brenda Sterbens

New Hope Church of God

Kodak (Sevierville), Tennessee