God Turns Weeping into Springs
Hi reader! It may be helpful to note, this article follows-up on two of my previous posts…
The first, God Strikes a Match, is what happened on my birthday and the one-year anniversary of my husband, Lee Gaupp’s death. The second, Fuel Me For Your Purpose, is what resulted from the intensity I experienced on July first, the anniversary of Lee’s celebration of life service.
The first experience brought my concept of God being my light, in the midst of the darkness of my grief, to another illuminating truth: He is able to ignite me. I additionally learned, from my second experience, that God is able to use all of my trauma and circumstance as fuel that propels me toward His greater purposes.
Several weeks after posting Fuel Me For Your Purpose, a Bible verse came to mind as just a fleeting thought. It kept floating back into my mind until I understood it wasn’t just random. This verse was one I’d come to know when my boys were but toddlers and I went thorough a bootcamp experience, through emotional wounds and physical illness, where I learned I was more than just a victim of my circumstance. And this is what was tapping me on the shoulder to get my attention!
God is the Great Composter!
I don’t understand how God is able to turn the tables on our grief, our trauma, and all of our brokenness. But He is able. And He will. If you’re a gardener then you’ll understand what I mean when I say He is the Great Composter. He causes all the garbage and trash that’s going on in our life, that we desperately want to be hauled off, to be broken down and used to nourish and strengthen us. Understanding this brings light to what the psalmist says in this passage.
Here, the valley of Baca means weeping. It’s a poetic play on words, describing when a person is forced to go through a time of weeping. It says that their tears became a spring, providing water. That’s self-sustaining provision. Whole villages are established around springs! Provisions of spring water are an expression of God’s care for us—a source of strength and life.
There's an “if this—then this” promise in this passage!
Verse 5: if this…
We are blessed and favored when our strength is solely in the Lord; if our strength is fully yielded and surrendered.
Having the highways to Zion in our heart means our praise connects us to heaven and the heart of God; if our worship is a mindset that launches our heart on a pilgrimage to God’s heart.
Verse 6: then this…
When we go through a lonely, dry, valley of weeping (Baca) it will become a place of springs; a well of living water will spring up from the barren ground.
Then blessings will rain down, descending from heaven’s throne, to cover us with a blanket of the Father’s love.
Verse 7: then MORE…
We go from strength to more strength as we go, increasing in His victorious power.
Every one of us appears before God in His Kingdom!
This is how we can have confident hope in the midst of our pain…
By knowing God will use it to show His victorious power in our life!
Thank you, Father God, that our strength comes from You and that you give us the ability to put on a mindset of Your Ways. We trust you in our sorrow, we chose faith in spite of pain. You see us, You hold us, and You collect our tears and rain down blessings of love. You won’t leave us here, but empower and strengthen us for a great adventure ahead with You. Amen!
— TAMI SORENSON GAUPP