walk through the valley

From My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:

• When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, & we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue.
• God gives us a vision, & then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision.  It is in the valley that so many of us give up & faint.  Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience.
• God has to take us into the valley & put us through the fires & floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision.
• He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, & yet over & over again we try to escape from the Sculptor's hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.
• Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel & whirl you around as He desires.  Then as surely as God is God, & you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision.  But don't lose heart in the process.  If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.

These remind me of the analogy of God to a silversmith or a blacksmith.  He puts his work through the fire...through the hottest part of the flame.  This strengthens it before it is taken into battle.  [Every time I think of this analogy, I picture A Knight's Tale...I love that movie!]  

The world is full of battles that we, as Christians, will have to fight.  Whenever we're doing what God is calling us to do, Satan will be right there trying to attack us.  God would not send us into that battle unprepared...He strengthens us first in the valley, like Oswald said.

I'll gladly walk through any valley if I come out more able to glorify Him through my life.