The Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you… Deut 7:6-8a

Yesterday, I received a packet of Sweethearts valentine candy and it reminded me of my childhood when we would exchange cards and candy hearts on Valentine’s Day. I remembered some of the candy heart sayings which included, “love you”, “hug me”, “be good”, and my personal favorite, “be mine.” Those short, two word phrases prompted a thought; that the message of God to us is simply, “be mine.” He desires that we would just be His because He loved us and chose us.

The scripture tells us that we are a special people chosen for Himself; a people that are of high value and very precious in His sight. It also lets us know that He did not set His love and affection or chose us for any reason other than He loved us. Peter reminds us in the new testament that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, and a peculiar people; that we should show forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy (I Peter 2:9-10). He continually and lovingly compels us throughout His Word to “be mine”; a love, a manifested love, that is revealed, offered, and readily available to us at all times (I John 4:9-10).

Have you thought about how blessed we are and that God doesn’t look on us nor choose us as man would? He wants us to be His; not for a fleeting moment but forever, for an eternity. Man, when choosing, looks for certain qualities that are appealing to the eye and only looking from a natural standpoint. Oftentimes, missing the beauty that comes from within however, God sees the heart of the people He’s chosen and loves us in spite of who we are, what we look like, or where we’ve come from. His love is unconditional. He is not concerned with our social status or how much or how little we have, or the color of our skin, just to name a few. He is not a respecter of persons. Unlike us, we pick and choose who will be the recipient of our “be mine” candy hearts. Then we choose to change our mind if that person is not who or what we need at any given moment, but not God. I’m glad He that He chose us simply because He loves us, without hidden motives or agendas.

Because He has chosen us and set His love upon us, we have a personal responsibility in this relationship when we choose to except His love. We are His special treasure, and because of our extreme worth to Him, we are handled with love and care. When we love and value someone, we promise to pledge our commitment, we promise to be faithful, we promise to honor, we promise to cherish, and we promise to hold in high esteem; this is what God does with us. There is not only a responsibility but an accountability that is necessary when we make a pledge to the one we say we love; just as God continues to be faithful, as well as keeping His promises and commitment to us.

I am grateful to the Lord for setting His love upon us, choosing and sincerely wanting us to be His; not only on Valentine’ Day but everyday. And not for any great thing that we've done but simply because He loves us. Most importantly, I thank Him for letting us know that we are special to Him and that He loves us so much and desires us to be His, both now and forevermore.

We should want to be found loving God and cherishing Him as He does us, the one He has chosen. It’s an honor to know and receive that we have been chosen. How can we reciprocate this wondrous love? By giving our all... mind, body and soul. This is what you do when you truly love someone and ask them to be yours. We used to sing a song that said, “I’m yours Lord, everything I’ve got, everything I am, everything I’m not, I’m yours Lord, try me now and see, see if I can be completely yours.” That says it all for me and because God's love speaks loudly and in volumes, ours should as well. He is committed to us and we can stand on His word and promises forever.

As we vastly approach a day set aside as the national calendared love day, we should remember that with the Lord everyday should be a love day; because every second of every day, He is saying to us, “be Mine.”

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7

For years, it has fascinated me in terms of getting “down in deep” and discovering the hidden nuggets of what David was speaking about in regards to the valley of Baca; the valley which is known as the valley of weeping, or the valley of tears and also, the valley of strength. All of which spoke to my heart and my curiosity, however, I’m sure you have experienced times when the Lord has given a topic or thought that is not for that moment but for such a time when needed. Can I tell you that now is the appointed time of need? The time of revelation and how this valley relates to the journey of my life has come up for evaluation.

While reading various versions of this scripture, I came across the word, pilgrimage. As I began searching for a definition, there was one very clear and concise understanding that was befitting for today. It is simple and to the point: the journey or the course of life on earth. This definition made everything come together and the wheels begin to turn. So, while meditating on the journey or the course of my own life, I suddenly understood and realized it was necessary to pass through this particular valley, this valley of Baca. It is a place where you come to know the Lord in a very real and intimate way; me, the girl who can tell you that as a matter of fact, she knows the Lord intimately and has a personal relationship with Him. Well, although that may be true, God had plans for a journey to a land where He’d show me (Gen 12:1-3) and it would all be significant, as well as noteworthy to my growth, confidence, maturity, strengthening, and faith levels (Rom 8:28). He kept confirming through His word, even in this New Year, that He and He alone knows the thoughts that He thinks towards me, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give me an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11).

This journey of life involves deeper spiritual lessons than we can fathom; lessons that go far beyond what the natural mind can comprehend or what the physical eye can see. It also includes a journey of individual and unique valley experiences for that which is to come; yet necessary for the work that He has prepared for us. Lessons that may seem crazy to you and especially others who have no concept as to what God is trying to do. There are not enough words to describe the more intimate the relationship will become when we have been walking the valley.

David said, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion or whose heart is the ways of them as they go through the Valley of Baca.” In the valley is the place where we begin to see God in all of his glory, how He steps in and intervenes on our behalf with His favor and His love. Even when we are unsure, have no understanding, and we have zero visibility, He keeps us; through the fatal distractions, He keeps us. He carries us from strength to strength; from faith to faith; from grace to grace, from blessing to blessing as we walk the valley. We have to keep in mind that we are not operating in our own strength, but in His strength. He will bring us through triumphantly if we continue with a thirst for righteousness, a heart and a mind to persevere. It is in our obedience that we see God move on our behalf. It is then that the refreshing rain will come and fill our need; a refreshing that will bring us to a place of renewal, restoration, and redirection. It’s our valley experiences that make us regroup, rethink, and reevaluate what God has purposed for our lives.

Will there be tears? Oh yes, lots of tears, lots of weeping and crying out to the Lord. Will there be some sadness, doubt and anxieties? Absolutely! Are there are heartaches and disappointments? Yes, again. David experienced all of these emotions and wrote about them all in a psalm for our reading. David speaks to everything you can imagine and talks to God about it. He pours out his heart, then he thanks, blesses, praises and worships the God of his salvation because he knows that he is not perfect man but serves a perfect, loving, just, and forgiving God. After we get out of our own way, our own way of thinking and rationalizing, it is in that time that we can begin to hear from God and get direction or redirection. Everything I experienced while walking the valley on this journey showed me where my trust and my strength lie. David tells us that there should be joy in dwelling with God in the midst of being uncomfortable; knowing that we are yet victorious in spite of the circumstances of life.

There have been many “aha moments” over the past two years of my life. It has been an interesting, yet necessary journey (I can say that now) of learning, gleaning and gathering up of all the usable parts; everything we pick up along the way helps us in some way for the molding, shaping, and making of us, but not all of it is fit for use. Some of it will have to be discarded only because it profits you nothing although it was a part of the valley process. Because of the valley, the Lord has given me a greater joy, a greater confidence, a renewed strength, and faith to move mountains; showing me that every provision and every promise is of God. What amazes me the most is how I came to have a more conscious awareness of His word, a word that is not only essential but vital for me to "learn" the word of God; not just read it or quote it or study it, but He intended for us to have a working applicable knowledge in order to rightly divide and distribute it accordingly. Talk about getting down in deep in it!

I’ll leave this passage for thought. David says, “the righteous shall see it and rejoice. Who so is wise shall observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.” (Psalm 107:42-43)

I praise God for loving me and allowing me to be found walking the valley.

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde