Finding Hope and Strength in Life's Valleys

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Psalm 46:1-3**: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."
2. **Joshua 10:12-14**: "At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, 'Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.' And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel."
3. **Isaiah 41:10**: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Psalm 46:1-3 say about God's role during times of trouble?
2. In Joshua 10:12-14, what miraculous event did God perform for Joshua and the Israelites? How did this event help them achieve victory? [01:06:54]
3. According to Isaiah 41:10, what promises does God make to those who are fearful or dismayed?
4. How did the speaker describe their personal experience of feeling overwhelmed and how did they relate it to the congregation? [01:09:49]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the imagery in Psalm 46:1-3 of natural disasters relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed in our personal lives?
2. What can we learn from Joshua's faith and boldness in asking God to stop the sun? How does this story illustrate God's power and willingness to intervene in our struggles? [01:06:54]
3. How does Isaiah 41:10 provide comfort and assurance during times of personal crisis? What does it mean for God to uphold us with His righteous right hand?
4. The speaker shared their own struggles to emphasize empathy and solidarity. How does knowing that even spiritual leaders face challenges impact your view of your own struggles? [01:09:49]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by life's pressures. How did you cope, and what role did your faith play in that situation? [01:12:33]
2. The speaker mentioned practical steps to manage stress, such as prayer, scripture, and worship. Which of these practices do you find most helpful, and how can you incorporate them more into your daily routine? [01:12:01]
3. Joshua's victory in the Valley of Aijalon was marked by a miraculous intervention. Can you recall a moment in your life where you felt God's intervention? How did it change your perspective or situation? [01:06:54]
4. The speaker encouraged facing fears with faith, referencing Psalm 46. What is one fear you are currently facing, and how can you trust God to be your refuge and strength in this situation? [01:02:37]
5. The sermon emphasized that valleys in life are opportunities for God's miracles. How can you shift your perspective to see your current challenges as potential platforms for God's power? [01:15:36]
6. The speaker shared their experience of feeling overwhelmed while abroad and dealing with a family health crisis. How can sharing your own struggles with others provide comfort and solidarity within your community? [01:09:49]
7. Reflect on Isaiah 41:10. How can you remind yourself of God's promises when you are feeling overwhelmed or dismayed? What practical steps can you take to lean on God's strength in your daily life? [01:11:11]

Day 1: Valleys as Vessels for Victory
Valleys in life are not designed to defeat but to demonstrate God's miraculous power. Like David facing Goliath, personal valleys are where faith is tested and God's might is revealed. Expect the miraculous in the face of daunting challenges. [01:15:36]

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 - "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
Reflection: Recall a time when you felt defeated. How did you see God's hand at work, turning your valley into a victory?

Day 2: Overwhelm as a Temporary State
Overwhelm is a transient feeling, not a life sentence. When life's pressures mount, remember that these feelings can be supplanted by trust in God. Managing stress and refocusing on God's word and presence can guide us confidently through our valleys. [01:14:01]

Psalm 55:22 - "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."
Reflection: What is one step you can take today to manage stress and refocus on God's presence in your life?

Day 3: Divine Intervention in Dire Times
The story of Joshua's victory in the valley of Aelon shows that God's intervention can alter the course of seemingly impossible situations. When stretched thin, it's often when God steps in to bring deliverance. Our valleys can become the stages of our greatest triumphs with trust in God's plan. [01:06:54]

Judges 6:12-14 - "When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.' 'Pardon me, my lord,' Gideon replied, 'but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about?'... The Lord turned to him and said, 'Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?'"
Reflection: Can you identify a 'valley of Aelon' in your life where you need to trust God for a victory? How can you actively demonstrate that trust today?

Day 4: Shared Struggles Foster Strength
Personal struggles and feelings of being overwhelmed are shared human experiences, even among spiritual leaders. Comfort and solidarity come from sharing these experiences and knowing that God promises to be with us, to strengthen and help us. [01:09:49]

Isaiah 43:2 - "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."
Reflection: How can you reach out to someone in your community who might be struggling and offer them comfort through shared experience and God's promises?

Day 5: Confronting Fears with Divine Assurance
Facing our fears is crucial for spiritual growth and reliance on God. Stepping out in faith to confront our fears invites God's strength and support. God is our refuge, enabling us to overcome fears and life's tumultuous challenges. [01:02:37]

Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Reflection: What fear have you been avoiding? How can you confront it today with the assurance that God is with you?

You probably maybe heard me mention this, but I don't even like going to a new restaurant.

You too?

Yeah, oh cool, we'll talk about it afterwards.

Yeah, I don't even like to go to a new restaurant here in my hometown. Then why would I get on a plane to go to Turkey, to a city I've never been, hoping somebody that I've never met before is going to pick me up and take me to a place where there's no adequate translation for them? Then to put my husband and I on a bus where nobody speaks English and says, "Get off at the stop, get off at the stop." It's at night, you're looking for somebody to pick you up for 15 minutes, and there's nobody there.

And then somebody picks us up that we don't know, and then it goes, the next stop is the same thing. Why would I put myself through that? Because something is more important than my fears. The work of God is more important than my fears. His people around the world are more important than my fears. So I do it afraid.

What is God asking you to do? Do it! Everybody tell your neighbor, "Just do it!" This is a Nike moment. You do what you're afraid of doing, and God will help you.

Psalm 46:1-3 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved to the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."

It doesn't matter if there's earthquakes and tsunamis in your backyard because God is going to give us the opportunity to do what we're afraid of doing, and when we do, He is going to be victorious. He is going to be victorious! Everybody said, "Amen!"

Okay, I really need to move. I think... not sure... oh yeah, I need to move.

Number three is the Valley of Aelon. On that day, the Lord gave Israel the victory over the Amorites, and Joshua stood before all of Israel and said to the Lord, "Sun, stop over Gibeon; Moon, stand still over the Valley of Aelon."

Okay, when the people of the land heard that the Gibeonites became allies with Israel, not one, not two, not three, not four, but five kings joined forces and brought all of their armies against Gibeon. And the Gibeonites were overwhelmed. Everybody say, "Overwhelmed!"

They were overwhelmed, so they sent a message to Joshua. They said, "We are your servants; come help us! Hurry, save us! All the Amorite kings from the hill country have brought their armies together to fight us."

So here's the thing: Joshua did. Joshua went to God. God gave his thumbs up, so Joshua and his army actually marched all night long and arrived, surprising the coalition army. And God confused those armies so much so that Israel was able to defeat them decisively. They chased the coalition down the road, and what happened next is really amazing.

God sent huge hailstones, and the Bible says that there were more soldiers that died from the hailstones than actually died from the sword. But that's not the finish of it. Then we go back to the verse we just read in Joshua 10. I'm going to read it again, and it says, "Joshua stood before all of the Israelites and said to the Lord, 'Sun, stop over Gibeon; Moon, stand still over the Valley of Aelon.'" And it did!

Oh no, no, you guys should be going, "What? The sun stood still? What?" I mean, something like that never happened before, and it never happened again. God listened to a man and stopped the sun!

But see, the stopping of the sun is what made it possible for Joshua to finish killing off all the enemies. Now, I stood on the edge of the mountain looking over into that valley back in November of last year, and the way the valley is positioned, when Israel's troops came up over the mountain, the sun was at their back, so it blinded all the enemies.

So they're coming with the sun at their back; they can see everything clearly, but the armies can't. They're blinded. So Joshua says, "Just keep the sun up there, you know, just keep it up." And not only was it blinding them, but it just gave Joshua time to finish killing absolutely every one of them.

So think of it: confusion, hailstones, standing still for over a day. God does all of this to help defeat Israel's enemies.

So let's think about it. What is the Valley of Aelon like in our lives? Well, it's when you feel devastated, stretched to the max, swamped. You feel like you just can't handle anymore. In one word: overwhelmed. Just like the Gibeonites were overwhelmed.

Has anybody ever felt overwhelmed? I have two hands up! I have two hands up! That feeling of being overwhelmed can be when you have time pressures; you know you got too much to do and not enough time to do it. That can make you feel overwhelmed. Or decision deadlines, or perhaps information overload, or exhaustion, or devastating losses, or unspeakable disappointments, or relationship problems, and physical problems, and financial problems—all this can cause a person to feel overwhelmed.

But the thing is, it's usually not just one thing, is it? I think we can handle one thing, maybe two, possibly three, but it just keeps coming.

Anybody know what I mean? It just keeps coming, more and more and more. Have you ever felt like, "God, I just can't take it anymore! It's just too much!" Have you ever felt that way? I did this week. I'm still feeling it right now.

Transparency: I wasn't able to run this message by the sermon planning because, first, I was in Turkey, and the next week I was with my husband in the hospital. So later on in the week, Pastor Brent just texted me, "How are you coming with the sermon?" And I just texted back, "How come we got to live it before we can preach it?"

Yeah, yeah, that's it. So why I'm being transparent and honest with you here is I want you to know that I'm not standing up here preaching at you. You hearing me? Yes? I'm not saying you need to do this and you need to do that. No, no, no. I'm standing in the valley of being overwhelmed with you right now.

And so I am speaking from my heart. I'm speaking from my life. I'm not telling you what to do; I'm just telling you what we can do when we are overwhelmed. And that is, we got to know that God is going to fight for us.

Turn to your neighbor and say, "God is going to fight for you!" I promise.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

That is so beautiful, and that is so powerful—that God is with us in those valleys. And when you're feeling overwhelmed, remember that God is your strength, and He will guide you, and He will help you overcome one issue at a time.

But this valley is just like the other two valleys; it's a partnership. There are things that we have to do, and then God will do what only He can do. When you feel overwhelmed, bring all your challenges and all your emotional overload and cast them at the feet of Jesus, and then let Him guide you as you take one step at a time.

Amen? You take one step at a time like He guides.

It also helps if you get your mind off of feeling overwhelmed. You know, take a walk, clear your head, talk to a friend about it. I'll tell you what really helps: refocusing with prayer, the Word, and worship.

But here's what I want you to know: it's just going to be one step at a time. It's not going to be a miracle; it's going to be one step at a time that will help you get to the place where you're not feeling overwhelmed anymore.

And here's the reason: it's a feeling. Being overwhelmed is a feeling, and you can replace that feeling with trust in God that He is going to help you get through this season one step at a time.

How you get through being overwhelmed is just having confidence in God that He is the one that is going to help you through this valley. Even though things keep coming, and you say, "Okay, I can't take anymore," and then what happens? More comes!

It's like, "Okay, but I trust you, God! I trust you, God!" I have confidence because you're right here in this valley with me, and you're going to walk with me, and you're going to guide me one step at a time, and we're going to come out of this valley together.

You see, valleys are not there to defeat us. Valleys are here as a test of our faith. So the question you need to ask yourself is, "Am I going to pass this test?"

Come on now! I was one of those nerdy kids. Anybody else was a nerd? Not very many of you? Oh, I feel so alone! I was a nerdy kid, so when I had a test, I made sure I was going to pass that thing. I studied and studied and studied till I passed it.

And so this week, when I've been going through so much and I was studying and preparing this sermon, I thought, "This is a test." What does Chris McQuay do with tests? I pass them! I pass tests! That's what Chris McQuay does, and that's what you do if you will just take it one step at a time and allow God to guide you and comfort you and strengthen you and keep you in the midst of the valley.

Just as we close now... we're closing, but did you notice what happened in every single one of those valleys? Think back. What happened? Oh, there were miracles! Seriously! The sun standing still—that's a miracle!

It is a young boy running towards a giant full speed, swinging and hitting a giant right in the one spot that doesn't have armor—that's God! That's a miracle! Bones standing up and breathing again—that's a miracle!

You see, your valleys are not there to defeat you. Your valleys are there to release miracles into your lives. Valleys are miracle territories.

And as I was praying about this message and saying, "God, this is like the worst possible time for me to be preaching," have you ever complained to God? Okay, yeah, I was complaining. Like, "God, this is the worst possible time!"

But then you know what God said to me? He said, "Yeah, but I'm going to release miracles."

So God's going to release miracles! Pastor, you talked about miracles today. You talked that it was so... I truly believe that God is going to produce a miracle—not to get you out of the valley, but He's just going to give you a miracle in the valley.

He's going to give you a miracle in the valley. So if you are in a miracle situation right now and you need a miracle, I want you to stand up right now if you need a miracle.

Amen!

"Something is more important than my fears; the work of God is more important than my fears. His people around the world are more important than my fears. So I do it afraid." [01:01:44 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)

"When you feel overwhelmed, bring all your challenges and all your emotional overload and cast them at the feet of Jesus, and then let Him guide you as you take one step at a time." [01:12:01 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)

"Being overwhelmed is a feeling, and you can replace that feeling with trust in God that He is going to help you get through this season one step at a time." [01:12:33 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)

"I'm not standing up here preaching at you... I'm standing in the valley of being overwhelmed with you right now, and I am speaking from my heart, from my life." [01:10:26 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)

"When you're feeling overwhelmed, remember that God is your strength and he will guide you and he will help you overcome one issue at a time." [01:11:11 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)

"Your valleys are not there to defeat you; your valleys are there to release miracles into your lives. Valleys are miracle territories." [01:16:29 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)

"I truly believe that God is going to produce a miracle not to get you out of the valley, but He's just going to give you a miracle in the valley." [01:17:08 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)

"God does all of this to use it to help defeat Israel's enemies. So let's think about it, what is the valley of Aijalon like in our lives? Well, it's when you feel devastated, stretched to the max, swamped, you feel like you just can't handle." [01:07:40 <-oFwVuOcz5k>] (Download)