5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! 6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. 7 They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion.
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The “valley of Baca” is most often understood to be the “Valley of Weeping”. There are times in our lives when we do go through a period of sorrow and weeping – and suffering at the hands of a narcissist in our life is typically one of those times.
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Psalm 84 says that it is actually possible during those times for us to
- “Make it (our weeping) a spring” – to turn our hurt and sorrow into a source of life and vitality for ourselves and those around us
- “Go from strength to strength” – to remain strong and even gain additional strength
- “Appear before God in Zion” – to not lose our faith in God and in His love and goodness.
.The keys for doing this are found in verse 4 –
- “Whose strength is in You (God)” – Rather than primarily relying on other sources – which will most likely fail us at some point – looking to God and relying on His strength to uphold us
- “In whose heart are the highways to Zion” – consistently seeking God, His wisdom, His ways
- Please see “Putting “Biblical Perspectives On Narcissism” Into Perspective” for an overview of what this blog is about.
- narcissism is the modern colloquial term for what the Bible calls “insolent pride” – see here
Go Deeper: The First Will Be Last
What does the Bible say about narcissism, and how should a believer respond? This book walks through Scripture’s case studies, the key words the Bible uses, and practical counsel for those living or working with a narcissist.
Paperback, Kindle, and audiobook. For daily encouragement, see the 30-Day Journeys devotional series.
