by Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
The Christian life is never a steady, even walk. There are hills and ruts, mountaintop experiences and dark valleys. I think it’s safe to say we all prefer the mountaintops to the valleys—that’s just human nature—but it is often in the valleys that we grow the most.
Moses had been on the mountaintop. As a member of Egypt’s royal household, he was highly educated. He had fame, wealth, and, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, military success. But when he tried to be a hero to his own people, he found himself on the run from Pharaoh. Suddenly, he was stripped of everything familiar and comfortable. He found himself in a dark valley.
The mighty Moses, a prince of Egypt, was suddenly a lowly shepherd, dependent on the kindness of a priest of Midian. Instead of commanding armies, his job was to corral sheep. Instead of a chariot, he had a shepherd’s staff. “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land,” he admitted (Exodus 2:22). But that was where God wanted Moses.
God does not often use arrogant and unbroken people as His instruments; He uses people who depend on Him. So to use Moses, God first broke him down in order to build him up into a great champion for righteousness. God specializes in using our brokenness. So, take heart if you are in a dark valley, for when you learn the lesson of your brokenness, you will experience greater heights than you ever thought possible.
Prayer: God, I know my dark valleys have a purpose. Help me to see how You are growing me and transforming me through these experiences as I cling to You. May I be a useful servant of Your Kingdom. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, ‘I have become a foreigner in a foreign land'” (Exodus 2:22).