Dawning of Hope
My favorite time of day is when the sun rises. At the dawning of a new day, the birds begin to sing, filling the air with joy and gratitude. As the sun continues to climb into the day, the darkness disappears until the full radiance of a noon day sun emerges. This natural phenomenon mirrors my journey out of a dark valley I had found myself in.
As much as I wanted immediate escape, my path to healing was gradual. The light dawning on me and removing the darkness was the result of four key practices:
Seeing the beauty of God
Meditating on what I saw
Accepting it as my own
Resting in the daily rhythm of being loved by God
The Apostle Paul beautifully captures this idea in 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV):
God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
In this passage, “glory” refers to God's character—the light He wants to shine in our hearts.
The Process of Healing
The more I embraced these four practices, the more my hope and trust grew. I began to feel better, gradually becoming stronger. However, this wasn't an easy road; it was a process. Looking back, I realize God had lessons for me to learn throughout this journey.
Unfortunately, God had to allow me to find myself in a position of helplessness for me to let go of trying to rescue myself. The book of Job describes this experience well:
Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. (Job 5:17-18)
Lessons in Submission and Trust
Putting my experiences in the context of the Bible helped me understand that while unpleasant, if God saw something in me that He wanted to correct, I needed to accept the process and let God have His way.
Getting to this point of accepting and trusting God through the process was not easy. I was focused on getting out of the valley, doing everything I thought was right: exercising, eating well, praying, reading my Bible, and listening to uplifting music. But I was still in control. Letting go and letting God is challenging for most of us.
The lesson God was teaching me was what I call “Submission and Trust.” As I continued to see the beauty of God, meditate on it, and allow myself to be loved by Him, my heart was being drawn to God. I was in awe as I meditated on verses like Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT):
Long ago, the LORD said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself.’
The Power of God's Love
I was helpless in the darkest valley of my life. But when my eyes were opened, I realized God was there, loving me and drawing me to Himself—not by coercion, manipulation, or force, but through the compelling power of who He is: Love. Submission to God simply results from seeing God for who He is.
Faith Activated Through Love
When I chose to accept the simple truth that God loves me and allowed myself to be loved by Him, my faith in God grew. As Galatians 5:6 (AMP) says:
For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.
My faith and trust in God were being activated and expressed as a result of being loved by Him.
Emerging from the Valley
As I climbed out of the valley, negative thoughts would try to pull me back, but each time, I exercised my power of choice and said, “Lord, I choose to put my trust in you; I choose to rest in your unfailing love.”
Gradually, my health improved: my blood pressure dropped, abdominal pain subsided, sleep returned, and joy and peace filled my heart. The journey out of the valley was like a light gradually coming back on after being dimmed.
A Deeper Relationship with God
This experience, though challenging, was truly the greatest trip of my life. At my darkest moment, when Satan tried to destroy me with lies, God showed up. He walked alongside me, rescued me, and led me to victory.
There's a saying: “I knew God on the way up, but I got to know Him on the way down.” This resonates deeply with my experience. I had been praying for a deeper relationship with God, and this journey—through the four principles God taught me—was the beginning of that deeper connection.