When we face trouble, we often claim, "I'm going through a valley." We tend to like mountain top experiences, but the valley is not an awful place. As one phrase declares, "In the valley, God restores my soul." How can this be? Trouble AND restoration? Yes. They are both part of the valley experience. Think about it. Something cannot be repaired if it is not broken.

Brokenness implies being brought low...to the valley. For example, seldom would a picture on the wall crack while it's hanging beneath its glowing art light, but let it get knocked to the floor, then the glass shatters, and the frame bends askew. The fall caused the break, but it's from the low place that it gets picked up, a new glass put in, and the frame glued back together. The same hands that lifted it to the nail in the wall in the first place are the ones to piece it back together and rehang it in the light. These hands did not swipe it to the floor.

Like the photo, we can find ourselves up-ended, knocked  to the bottom, broken, shattered, with everything that seemed so certain suddenly askew. But that's not a bad place to be. It's there, in the valley, that we can experience a different kind of touch: the mending, healing, restoring caress of God.

Tip/Tidbit: The valley is a place of nourishment. Deuteronomy 8:7 says, "For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land of brooks of water of fountains and depths that spring out of the valley..." Everything needed for sustaining life is in the valley, but when we are in the valley, it is easy to overlook the blessings in it. Don't wait for the trouble to end; look for the good in the trouble. Drink from the refreshing fountain of Living Water. See the beauty of Jesus, the Lilly of the Valley (Song of Solomon 2:2). Note multitudes in their own valleys and point them to the Savior (Joel 3:13-14). Feast on God's provision, rest in His peace, and trust the Shepherd to lead you (Psalm 23). Expect new life, even if the valley your are currently in is one of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). Trouble may have brought you to the valley, but you are in a good place. Here, your brokenness can be scooped into the hands of the Restorer. In His healing hands, you can be made new.

I always have been a sucker for a good story, especially one that is beribboned with a happy ending. The book of Esther is such a narrative. Tucked mid-way between the Bible's covers, Esther is a package waiting to be unwrapped, and it's reading is sure to produce a contented sigh for believers who see the personal applications. 

First, there's the obvious parallel of Haman to our own enemy, Satan. Like Haman, Satan is sorely displeased over our lack of bending and bowing. Oh how he wants us to be subservient, subjected to his whims. Instead, we stand, serving THE God, THE Victor, the One who is a constant reminder to Satan of his limits. We anger our enemy, but he doesn't merely want us to grovel at his feet. He wants all that is connected to us: our families, our circle of influence, and ultimately, all of God's people. So he plots. And in the plotting, he appears to be winning. It seems like nothing can stop him. In fact, it looks like the king is on his side.

But. Yes, there's a big, fat, glorious, three letter word that alters the plan and turns the tale into a whole new direction. The BUT didn't enter the picture when Haman started his finagling. The BUT didn't suddenly become a road block to Haman's success when the Jews found out the plan and started to fast and pray. It didn't enter the picture when Esther stepped boldly before the king's golden scepter. The BUT was at the beginning of the story.

BEFORE Haman started building his empire, BEFORE he noticed Mordecai's will of steal, God was ALREADY at work. God's plan was in motion before Haman could think, "Once upon a time."  A queen denied the king. An attendant gave a piece of advice. A king issued a decree. A virgin was brought into a harem. An innocent girl waited with knotted nerves for her night with the king. A father-figure stressed over what was to become of the child he had raised. A young woman humbled herself to a servant's wisdom and was elevated to the royal position of queen. A man  does the right thing to save the king's life, in spite of his own personal attacks. All the pieces of the story come together for us, but as they were unfolding, they seemed unrelated, random sentences on scattered sheets of paper. BUT God. He saw the end before Haman started his beginning, and He put everything into position, allowing the story to unfold before the eyes of the people while for Him, it was already a closed book.
 
Our story is also already written. Before we ever reach the pivotal point where it seems like the enemy is about to succeed in our  situations, God is at work. He's positioning people: servants who share a word of wisdom; leaders who hold influence; prayer warriors who pray and fast;  speakers who declare the plot of the enemy; even adversaries who create tools for their own demise. God is not surprised by events of our lives. It is we who read the pages with bated breath. And it is we who receive the gift of a happy ending.

Tip/Tidbit: If you are facing bleak circumstances, continue to do what you know is right. Uphold the law. Esteem the lowly. Fast and pray. Put yourself out for others. Honor the King of Kings. Ask your petitions. Identify and target the Real enemy. Operate in the authority of the King's name and the power of His seal. Throw the party, and enjoy the victory!
Scripture references: Esther 1-10, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13, Matthew 7:7, Matthew 21:22, John 14:14, John 16:24, Luke 10:7, Acts 4:12, Ephesians 6:12, Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:17, 1 Timothy 6:15.