A valley of trouble for a door of hope
On Mondays, I work from home. Taking advantage of the extra sleep this morning, I jumped out of bed at 8:45, made breakfast and logged on to the computer. During the middle of the morning, I felt an ache in my soul and realized I didn’t really start my day spending time with God. This evening, I went for a walk and whispered, “God, I miss you.” I looked up and saw a single red rose in a bush. I felt like it was God reminding me He was right there. I smiled wide. “God, you make beautiful things.”
Tonight after dinner, I spent time journaling to God and asked Him to show me how to listen to His voice. Over the past few weeks, I have been asking people how they hear from God. A lot of people hear Him speak through the Bible in response to their life situations. Some people see Him in nature and some people feel an impression in their hearts. Others hear Him through the words of other people. As I’m growing in my relationship with God, I keep praying, “God, teach me how to hear you speak to me personally.”
God is so awesome. After journaling, I opened my Bible and started flipping around. After reading for a few minutes, I asked God to make it clear if He was trying to speak to me. I read a verse in Hosea that I had underlined some time ago: “Therefore, now I am going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and I will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope” (Hosea 2:15). As I read later, I came across a verse in Isaiah: “Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me” (Isaiah 65:10). I did a double take and thought, “Wait, I just read something like that. What’s the Valley of Achor?”
Enter Google. If you’ve never Googled Bible verses before, I highly recommend it. There is so much context and history underneath the surface. I typed “Valley of Achor” into the search bar and up popped a valley of pure gold. Here is some of the information I found:
He speaks of alluring this unfaithful one into a wilderness place — a place of solitude, where there are no distractions. In this place, will He finally destroy her? No. He says He will “speak kindly to her.” He gives her “her vineyards” and “the Valley of Achor as a door of hope.” The result is that she sings there as in the days of her youth when she came up from Egypt in the Exodus. In this verse, we see the tenderness of God’s heart revealed, the God who takes what was meant for evil and turns it into good. A valley is quite literally a “low place.” God says, “I will make that place of violence and terror — the lowest place in your life — a door of hope.”
The door of hope phrase in Hebrew is a colorful phrase. The Hebrew word translated “hope” is tikvah, which in its root meaning pictures a cord attached to the thing longed for. In the midst of fear, the God of Israel is throwing the people a lifeline — a door of hope. This door — I believe — is a move of the Spirit of God that begins in Israel and spreads over the whole earth. Jesus, your Redeemer, your King. Recognize He who called Himself “the door.” Take hold of the rope and let Him pull you to safety.” -Sue Towne
Amazed, I reread this description and felt like God was inviting me to enter His door of hope. Over the past few months, those who know me know I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression. I’ve held on to fears and disappointments and wallowed in relational pain. I prayed, “God, I want to enter this door of hope. I claim all of the restoration you have for my life.”
I sat back in awe. “Wow, thanks God for leading me to these passages. You are so awesome.” But God had more! I thought, “I wonder if Jesus says He’s a door anywhere in the Bible.” Enter Google search #2. John 10:9 pops up: “I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, He will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.” Finding pasture is near and dear to my heart because it reminds me of rest. In this season, God has taught me a lot about rest. “Wow, God,” I thought. “Even the Old Testament points to Jesus. And you have been teaching me about rest. You are awesome.”
Then, I read the verses surrounding John 10:9.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” -Jesus (John 10:10)
“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” -Jesus (John 10:14)
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” -Jesus (John 10:27)
The prayer I journaled just an hour before about listening to God’s voice came back full circle in John 10:27 — “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” I felt like God heard my prayer and was personally responding to me through His Word. In my conversations with people about how they hear God’s voice, one person said that he learned to hear what God’s voice sounded like through the Bible. I finally understood what he meant.
I wish you were sitting on my couch with me right now. I am literally jumping for joy. I know some people think the Bible is boring history, but let me tell you — it is rich! It is alive! It is a love letter to your heart from the Creator of the universe! My prayer for you is that you would open your Bible this week or access the Bible app on your phone — and spend some time in it. Even when it’s hard or boring, stick with it. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak through it to your heart. Use Google. Blue Letter Bible is one of my faves. Ask questions. Journal. Talk to people about what you read.
If I hadn’t stuck with it tonight, I wouldn’t have gotten to circle back to John 10. I’m so glad I spent a few more minutes waiting and reading. I pray the same for you. I just know God will turn your Valley of Achor (Achor = trouble) into a door of hope. Sit with Him a while as He opens the door for you.
Joyfully,
Lauren
(Achor of Hope information courtesy of https://sidroth.org/articles/door-hope)
