The Valley of Baka

Photo by Christian Kielberg on Unsplash

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baka,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

(Psalm 84:5-7)

I’ve traveled life’s road long enough to know there is a universal, rhythmic pattern of descension and ascension in each of our lives. Life is not stagnant, and time itself yields a continuous ebb and flow of varied terrain, curves, mountains, and valleys. There are inevitably times our pilgrimages lead us to mountaintops; there are also times they lead us into valleys. In recently reading Psalm 84, I was struck by two phrases, “the Valley of Baka” and “strength to strength.” After research and prayerful reflection, a beautiful truth surfaced.

The Hebrew word Baka is related to the word Bakah which means “to weep.” Baka refers to a resin-producing tree that drips like tears, and the Valley of Baka can be translated to “the valley of tears.” I imagine this metaphorical Valley of Baka as one lined with beautifully aged shade trees that produce tears of resin as they mightily yet humbly stand in silence and solidarity with us as we pass through in our moments of deep sadness.

Yes, we will all inevitably go through valleys—valleys of tears in which we find ourselves questioning, or grieving, or suffering in some way. But as we walk with God—as our hearts remain steadfast in Him—even the valley of weeping can produce something beautiful within us. Our tears are never in vain, for God creates from them a spring of life. And what the enemy may have meant for harm, God can redeem for Good (Genesis 50:20).

There’s never a moment in our lives in which God is not present—whether the moment is full of joy or weighted with grief—God is with us, always. And we can be assured that redemption is possible, for Emmanuel—God with us—is a God of Redeeming Grace.

God’s presence in our lives is what allows us to pass through the Valley of Baka and not die there. God’s presence in our lives is what allows our darkest moments to be transformed into the brightest light. And this transformation is not only for us, but it is also…

for all who were there with us,

for all who watched from afar,

for all who have learned of it,

and for all who ever will.

I’m learning that God never wastes a heartbreak or tragedy. As we surrender our pain, broken hearts, and tears to God, He will redeem them, and even the deepest gouges that produce insufferable pain and weeping can indeed, somehow, become a spring of life. It is this transformation of God’s redemption in our lives that enables us to go from strength to strength. For as we walk through the valley of tears, we are miraculously strengthened. In and through our greatest sorrows, God brings forth new life.

And herein lies the Divine apogee in this universal pattern of life’s descension and ascension:

Jesus’ road to the Cross, and the Resurrection that followed.

Gethsemane and the hours after were Jesus’ own Valley of Baka. God’s grace through Jesus’ suffering was made known…

to all who were there with Him,

to all who watched from afar,

to all who have learned of it,

and to all who ever will.

In radical Provision and Love, that which was meant for the greatest evil was redeemed for the greatest Good. For what came from Jesus’ Valley of Baka was an eternal spring of Living Water for all who will receive it.

Therefore, from strength to strength we shall live. Not by our own might or self-will, but by God’s redemptive power to transform us in our valley of weeping.

So let the tears flow as they may in your Valley of Baka. For from them will flow a spring of life.

~em

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