faith badly, when the happy fellowship of the Lord's people must be exchanged for the

valley of weeping. But the living realities of faith are ours. If our `place' or worship is

`where Christ sits at the right hand of God' if, even though far from human fellowship,

"Festive processions are in the heart" then the Valley of Weeping provides a Well of

Many readers of The Berean Expositor are cut off from the fellowship they enjoyed in

days gone by. They sit or work in loneliness and isolation. They `long even faint' for an

opportunity to meet around the Word once more. But, as one such wrote to us: "The

teaching we received at the meetings, now proves to be our armour". To such, "Christ is

all" and if He is with them in the Valley, then even though every external accompaniment

of their salvation should be denied, though all fellowship broken, though all opportunities

of study denied, though the mind refuses to concentrate because of the pressure of the

times, nevertheless, the valley of Baca becomes a valley of triumphant faith. Tears are

dried, He is with them, and all is well.

If we set no bounds to our license we may spiritualize every valley that is found in

Palestine, but we refrain. We have endeavoured to minister comfort to those who may be

called upon to walk through the valley of the shadow; and the very heart of this comfort

is found in the precious fact that the Psalmist could say "Thou art with Me".

We have discovered that there is a true spiritual application of geographical terms, for

although the valley of Achor can be found on the map, yet the valley of Achor is also

used as a spiritual experience. We read of the `valley of Jehoshaphat' which becomes in

the prophets message the `valley of Decision' (Joel 3: 2, 12, 14), and it may be that

sometimes the valley of the shadow can become in a very intense way, a valley of

decision for the one passing through it, a decision which, like that of the blinded Saul of

Tarsus, should influence the whole of his after life. The valley of the shadow may be to

some, `the valley of Hebron', where a most blessed fellowship is entered that could not

otherwise be enjoyed. The valley of the shadow can become the `valley of Mispeh', a

place where we learn to watch as Habakkuk did (Hab. 1: 1-4; 2: 1-4). Others will find

that the valley of the shadow may become he `valley of Succoth' or `booths' (as at the

feast of Tabernacles), where rest and peace are exchanged for alarm and strife.

Sometimes, the believer may discover the valley of the shadow, to become the

"valley of Eshcol" with its blessed reminder of the `earnest of the inheritance' that the

"grapes of Eshcol" stand for. Sometimes the valley of the shadow may appear to be a

dreadful cul-de-sac at times,  yet it may become "The valley of passengers"

(Ezek. 39: 11), and prove to be a covered bridge, leading from `light to light'. But

there are limits to this application and we can but hope that, whenever the believer passes

through the valley of the shadow, not only the spiritual experiences outlined in this series

will be entered, but others, unrecorded here will be, by the overruling grace of the Lord,