Have you ever rejoiced over your tribulation? Over your troubles? Honestly.

I’ve been reading the prophet Hosea as part of my morning devotions recently, and the hope found in Hosea 2:14-15 is profound, and yet troubling at the same time; we read,

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she will sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.”

Several points stand out. The Lord brings his wayward people into the wilderness (from a root meaning order and speech) to speak comfort to her there: out there, not in familiar places. He will restore peace, represented by vineyards, “from there.” Finally, she will sing “there,” as in her youth when she was brought out of Egypt (Ex. 15).

There is a catch. Sorry. The location in the wilderness has a name: the Valley of Achor. I would translate this as: the Valley of Trouble. Again, sorry.

How we understand the “Valley of Trouble” is vital. As the Lord says, “I will give her … the Valley of Achor as a door of hope.” The door of hope, as the Lord speaks, is found in trouble. Yikes!

From this we learn that trouble actually becomes a servant of the Lord; however, it, trouble, only becomes our servant when we keep the Lord front and center in our heart, mind, and life: trouble forces us to focus.

In the Valley of Trouble, the door of hope is set, and it is open when we begin to “sing there, as in the days of her youth.” The Lord is encouraging us to sing in the Valley of Trouble, the door of hope, an is the days of our youth – as when we were first delivered.

From where does this peace come? Paul writes, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Ro. 5:1-2). Glory to God!

Those in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus are recipients of God’s uncommon grace, and that grace gives us hope in all situations, even in the Valley of Trouble. God promised to give vineyards from the Valley of Trouble, meaning the fruit of peace in the trouble that is the door of hope. It is Yeshua who stands in the midst of our trouble, giving the hope and peace that comforts. Hallelujah!

God will always backup His Word, as His promise (II Cor. 1:20), and He will keep your confidence in His Word. This hope, and word of promise is not, and I repeat, is not based on your performance, but His promise to enter into, and work “all things” together for our good, in order that we be conformed to the image of His Son (Ro. 8:28-29).

Paul’s use of the word “justified” in Romans 5:1 should be a cause of celebration and rejoicing. Simply: in Messiah, when God the Father sees you, he sees you as Jesus Himself. O praise His name!

Do you find yourself in a Valley of Trouble today? Start singing. He brought you to the trouble in order to draw you to, and deeper into His presence. Sing in the trouble, your door is before you, and His name is Yeshua/Jesus.

Be well. Shalom.

Perhaps you’ve heard the proverb, “A watched pot never boils.” In a time when people boiled water over a wood fire, bringing water to boil would certainly seem to take forever; especially if you stood, watched, and waited beside the fire.

And this is the heart of the proverb, as you are waiting for, or anticipating something to happen, time seems to move more slowly; yet the thing waited for has more value.

On the traditional Jewish, and Messianic calendar, we have entered the month of Elul. אֱלוּל/Elul comes from a root meaning harvest; yet as an acronym, it teaches something beautiful.

Elul traditionally is a time of preparing for, and anticipating the fall feasts, specifically Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Much like the “watched pot,” Elul takes time, yet it develops longing for the calling from, and connection to the Lord. In Messianic faith this season is a dress rehearsal for, and anticipation of the coming of our first love, Yeshua/Jesus, and the final harvest.

In the Song of Songs 6:3, Solomon writes,

אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי

“I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine” (Song. 6:3).

The rabbis have long recognized אֱלוּל/Elul as an acronym of the above verse, drawing our attention to the heart of the month itself – the beloved.

In Hebrew “beloved” comes from a root picturing a boiling pot: דוד. (Which is also the root of the name David.) This describes a love and relationship between spouses, friends, and family members developed over time, having an intensity of emotion, and longing continued connection.

Time in anticipation for this connection seems to move more slowly, as in the watched pot. Yet when it reaches a boil, and anticipated hope is realized, the relationships have more meaning and value.

With regularity the apostles referred to their readers as “beloved,” as Jude wrote, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:20-21).

The apostles recognized the maturation of relationship, and it’s value between humans; to include the joy and pain, separation and connection.

As we face the ups and downs of life, and seemingly daily tribulation, this season is meant to refocus us on our first love, as we learn to experience the grace of this relationship. Waiting for His return may seem to be like a watched pot, it will take time, but Scripture reminds us that the boil is worth the wait, as we long to be with Him in the place He has prepared (Jn. 14:2-3), and we experience the beauty of relationship with each other.

As Tom Petty sings, “the waiting is the hardest part.”

Be well. Shalom.

Under Midianite oppression, the Lord calls a man: a questioning, doubting, fearful man who is the least of his father’s house. From our point of view, not the beginning of a noble leader: but God.

The Lord calls a man to “deliver Israel from the hand of Midian” (Judg. 6:14) who is threshing wheat in a winepress, a vineyard, in order to hide, both himself and his wheat, from the Midianites (Judg. 6:11).

This will be a deliverer of Israel? Yes, as it is the Lord who has called and sent him (Judg. 6:14).

Once convinced that he is dealing with the God of Israel, Gideon dedicates an altar to “the Lord is peace” (Judg. 6:24), Who settles his nerves.

Gideon’s first act concerning Israel’s deliverance finds him realizing his name, as he cuts down the Asherah poles erected in the town (Judg. 6:25-26, 28.)

Gideon/גִּדְעוֹן, logger/feller/warrior, called to cut down, in order to build up. Joash didn’t name Gideon, the Lord did; and in His timing, Gideon stepped out from the vineyard, and became God’s logger, God’s warrior. Gideon cut down, the Lord built up.

Under the cover of darkness, in trepidation (Judg. 6:27), Gideon broke and cut down idolatrous images. Still uncertain as to his calling, he takes small, yet impactful steps toward Israel’s deliverance; as the Word says, “For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth” (Zach. 4:10).

The plumb line that the Lord rejoices over ensured the walls of the Temple were plumb and true. It seems a “small thing,” yet from this small thing beauty comes, and ultimately His glory entered (Mal. 3:1).

God called Gideon where He found him – hiding in a vineyard. From a place of fear, Gideon would become a hero of faith when his life and God’s call met. Gideon received a revelation of God’s sufficient grace (Judg. 6:16), and slowly walked into his calling to deliver Israel. A high calling indeed, with a very humble beginning.

Where are you? In a winepress, in a vineyard threshing wheat? It may seem that your present circumstance is the final verdict, but as we learn from Gideon’s life, when hiding, attempting to survive unnoticed, surrounded by enemies, the Lord’s call overcame every obstacle, and enabled by His Spirit, Gideon overcame, not just his own circumstance, but the suffering of many.

Do not despise the day of small things, as it leads to the Lord Himself, and as Paul encourages, “put on Yeshua/Jesus” (Ro. 13:14), and having done all “stand” (Eph. 6:14).

Be well. Shalom.