out having been blessed by them.  You turn that valley that would crush other people—and this is the mark of real Christianity—you turn it into ‘a place of springs’ until that very valley becomes an opportunity to shine forth more blessing.

Now the question is how blessed men go through valleys of weeping—they go through those valleys; they turn them into a place of springs.  How?  “Blessed is the man”—go to that first verse—“whose strength is”—what’s it say?—“in thee.”  That’s the clue!  That’s the clue.  “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee.”  Jesus never said we wouldn’t go through valleys.  Indeed He said in the world we’d have tribulation.  He said He’d be with us in those valleys—never leave us, never forsake us.  Jesus is not the God of the mountaintops only.  God’s promise is that when we in Faith put our hand in His, He never will let go.  That was the message last Sunday: “Don’t doubt in the dark what you learned in the light.”  You may not see God; He sees you.  Sure “Whom the Lord loveth he traineth”—that’s Hebrews.  Sure “There are manifold tribulations” Peter said, but he uses the same Greek word “manifold blessings.”  “God will not tempt us beyond what we’re able, but will with the temptation grant a way of escape”—and the Greek has it the way of escape is as individualized, as I said last Sunday to you, as the temptation.  “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee.”

God called Elijah—sent him to the brook Cherith; fed him with ravens but the Book says after a while the brook dried up.  F.B. Meyer said God was teaching Elijah to trust the giver of the gifts instead of the gift that He gave him.  God has to empty us, as said earlier, from vessel to vessel.  These valleys of weeping are designed to teach us to trust the Lord Himself.  He is with us and if our strength is in Him, then all I need to know is that I’m going with God and the valley

doesn’t matter.  “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the ways of them.”  How many have ‘them’ written in italics in your Bible?  Let me see your hands.  That means it’s added by the translators.  The original refers back to the same ‘thee.’  “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, and in whose heart are the ways of thee.”  Scratch the ‘them’ out—added by the translators.  It’s “the ways of thee.”

God not only is interested in us and looking out for us and taking us through our valleys, He wants us to know His ways.  We’re going to rule and reign throughout eternity with Him and He wants us to know His ways.  After 40 years in the Wilderness God lamented that the children of Israel only saw His actions.  Moses alone came to know His ways.  How many of you can testify that over these 15 years you’ve come to know the ways of God?  More and more you see Him—well let me try one out on you.  How many of you have learned that He expects more out of you now than He did when you started?  Okay, you’re learning the ways of God.  How many are finding out that He’s no longer as easy to coerce with testimonials of how much you’re sacrificing for Him?  You’re learning His ways.  He’s taking you home, seasoned warriors.  A man whose source of strength is in the knowledge of God Himself, and His presence with you, and the ways of God, doesn’t break in the valleys of weeping. 

Now I end it.  Verse 11: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield.”  This is part of His ways—“The Lord God is a sun and shield.”  This is what He is trying to teach you.  What is the role of the sun in this universe?  Everything revolves around it; it controls the paths of the elements in the universe.  Ignorant primitive mankind thought the sun was going around them.  The sun controls.  The sun giveth life.  The sun gives light, warmth, provision.  Without it you