The Valley of Baca

Psalms chapter 84:
5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
6. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

The Valley of Baca was a miserable, dry, and barren land, totally unfit for sustained human habitation. It was a place you never wanted to be. In my mind I see visions of cowboys in the old western movies who are crawling through the desert, barely alive, trying to reach a watering hole where they can be refreshed and renewed. Have you ever watched this scene played out and seen the extreme joy on the face of the cowboy when he finally reaches the water? It's like he's arrived at the gates of Heaven. He shouts and laughs and hoops and hollers and quite often dances with joy!

Other scenes show the cowboy arriving at the watering hole, and finding it dry and dusty. His face shows bitter disappointment, anger, and disgust, and quite often, he yells out, "Why me God?" If any answer comes, it's normally a wolf howl. Another scene that sometimes plays out, the cowboy arrives at the water hole only to find bitter sulphur water that is undrinkable. This scene often plays out with the cowboy stretched out on the ground crying his heart out in sorrow.

We all pass through the Valley of Baca in our lives. We all have times when we thirst for the Living Water, and it seems to be out of reach. It seems we'll never get another drink, and quite often we become discouraged. Financial problems, marital problems, addictions, and a host of other circumstances quite often leave us thirsting for a touch from God. As we go through the Valley of Baca, our outcome is largely determined by the life we've lived up to that point. If we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and have dug wells by implanting His Word into our hearts, we will find fresh drink. His Word promises us that! But if we don't know Jesus, and don't know that He is the one we need to reach out to, our wells will be empty, dusty, and dry. And I envision those who, at one time, knew Jesus and have turned away from Him may find water, but it may well be bitter and sulphurous.

We need to dig a well! We need to have ample knowledge of the Word of God stored deep in our hearts so that when we do pass through the Valley of Baca, we will be filled with fresh, drinkable, Living Water to carry us through. No matter what circumstances are in our lives, we can dig a well. Trials and tribulations are sure to come our way, but we can dig a well and be prepared. Notice the end of verse 6, "the rain also filleth the pools." I view this as a promise that if we have dug our wells, God will supernaturally make fertile ground for us, even in the most dry and barren lands we will ever encounter! Dig a well my friends! The rains are coming!