God With Us: Part 1 - In the Valley

God With Us — Meeting God in the Valley

Scripture References

• Matthew 1:23
• Psalm 84
• Psalm 23

Overview

God is not only present on the mountaintops of life; He walks with us through every valley. Using Matthew 1:23 and Psalm 84, Pastor Craig contrasted the ease of sensing God when everything is going well with the struggle to recognize Him in pain, loss, or fear. Valleys in Scripture are places of battle, desperation, and also growth. We may enjoy God when life is good, but we come to know Him intimately in the low places—where His strength, comfort, and provision meet our deepest need.

Main Points

1. Valleys Are Real, Personal, and Painful

• Life often contains simultaneous mountaintops and valleys; one hard area can overshadow many good ones.
• Story: On Thanksgiving Day Craig was surrounded by 40 family members (mountaintop) yet received a text that his close friend Lance had died (valley).
• Valleys in the Bible symbolize danger, tears, and loss—yet they are also settings for growth.

2. “Blessed Are Those Whose Strength Is in You” (Psalm 84:5)

• Without Christ, what you have is all you have; in Christ, you have access to heavenly strength.

• Illustration: After heavy bench-press sets, Craig could barely lift an empty bar; his workout partner “Paco” took over. Likewise, when we exhaust our strength, God’s power lifts the weight.

• God’s strength is perfected in our weakness; we rely on Him, not mere determination or self-sufficiency.

3. Set Your Mind on the Journey, Not the Valley

• Psalm 84 (NLT): “What joy for those…whose hearts are set on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”
• Your location may be a valley, but your mind can be fixed on God.
  • Think on what is true, excellent, praiseworthy (Paul to the Philippians).
  • Story: At 3 a.m. Craig told Amy, “I can’t sleep.” She firmly replied, “Don’t say that—say you have the peace of God.” Thought life matters.

4. We’re “Passing Through”

• “As they pass through the Valley of Baka…” — the valley is not the destination.
• Echoes Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
• Hold to the truth: this season is temporary; God is leading you onward.

5. Dig a Well—Prepare for God’s Provision

• Pilgrims “make it a place of springs.” In a dry place you dig a hole anticipating rain.

  “If you dig it, He will fill it.”

• Faith steps in Scripture: Jesus told the man with a withered hand, “Stretch it out”; another man, “Pick up your mat.” Show faith first; God meets it with faithfulness.
• Stillness creates space for encounter: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

6. From Strength to Strength (Psalm 84:7)

• God moves us from one measure of His strength to the next until we appear before Him.

• Story: For 18 months Craig’s daughter Mandy battled debilitating health issues. He and Amy began thanking God for her healing before they saw change; recently she has shown noticeable improvement.

• We praise Him on the mountain and we praise Him in the valley because His presence does not change.

Key Truths

• God never promised we wouldn’t face valleys; He promised we’d never face them alone.
• Valleys can be pathways to peace when we meet God there.
• Where our strength ends, God’s strength begins.
• What we set our minds on shapes our experience of the valley.
• Active faith—preparing, praising, digging wells—invites God’s tangible provision.

Response

• Admit your need and lean on God’s strength, not your own.
• Set your mind daily on God’s truth rather than your surroundings.
• “Dig a well”: carve out unhurried space to wait for His presence.
• Praise God before the answer comes; thank Him in advance.
• Encourage someone else walking through a valley with the promise of Emmanuel—God with us.

Closing

Even in the darkest valley, we walk through, not alone. Emmanuel means “God with us”—the same Savior who conquered death now strengthens, guides, and comforts His people.

“Even though I walk through the valley… I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

He invites everyone, whether high on the mountain or low in the valley, to call on the name of Jesus, receive forgiveness, and journey from strength to strength with Him.