Welcome to Pomoja Podcast, the place where stronger
lives are built, faith is strengthened, hearts
are encouraged, and Christ -centered lives are
shaped through ordinary conversations that become
extraordinary encounters with God's truth. I'm
your host, Barry Mwamba. There is a question
that has stayed with me for quite some time.
Why do faithful Christians go through difficult
seasons? I don't mean people who are running
away from God. I don't mean people who have completely
abandoned their faith. I'm talking about believers
who sincerely love God, who pray, who seek Him,
who desire to obey Him, and yet still find themselves
walking through valleys they never expected.
Why? Have you ever noticed that almost every
great servant of God experienced a season like
that? Joseph did. David did. Daniel did. Paul
did. Even Peter did. None of them were strangers
to hardship. Yet when we read their stories carefully,
we discover something fascinating. Not every
valley in the Bible has the same purpose. That
realization changed the way I read scripture.
And perhaps, it will change the way you understand
your own life. because I believe there are at
least two kinds of valleys that believers experience.
The first valley is the one God uses to bring
us back to Him. The second valley is the one
God uses to prepare us for something greater
than ourselves. Those two valleys may look similar
from the outside. They both involve pain. They
both involve uncertainty. They both involve tears.
but they are completely different in purpose.
And if we fail to recognize the difference, we
may misunderstand what God is doing in our lives.
Let's begin with the first one. The first valley
is what I would call the valley of positioning.
There are seasons when life suddenly shakes us,
not because God has rejected us, but because
we have slowly drifted away from Him Sometimes
it happens through sin. Sometimes through pride.
Sometimes through success. Sometimes simply because
life became so busy that our relationship with
God quietly moved to the background. Then something
happens. A storm. A disappointment. A loss. A
crisis. And suddenly, the very thing we thought
was destroying us. becomes the thing that brings
us back to God's presence. Think about the prodigal
son. It wasn't comfort that brought him home.
It was famine. Think about Jonah. It wasn't the
calm sea that changed him. It was the storm.
Think about Israel throughout the Old Testament.
Again and again, when they drifted from God,
adversity became an invitation to return. That
is why I love what God says in Second Chronicles
714. He doesn't begin with healing. He begins
with relationship. If my people will humble themselves,
pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked
ways, only then does he say, then I will hear,
forgive, and heal. Did you notice that? Healing
was never the first step. Returning was. God
first restores our position before He changes
our circumstances. But here's where the conversation
becomes even more interesting. What about people
who have already returned? What about believers
who are intentionally walking with God? Not perfect,
because none of us are. But sincere. People who
love Him. People who quickly repent. people who
desire holiness, people who have made God their
dwelling place. Why do they still walk through
valleys? Now we have entered a completely different
conversation because this second valley is no
longer about positioning. It is about alignment.
And I believe this is where Psalm 91 begins.
Not because David had never experienced difficulties.
Not because he had never known fear. Not because
he had never cried. But because by the time David
wrote those words, he had already learned something
about walking with God. He had discovered that
there is a difference between knowing God and
dwelling with God. I find that fascinating. Because
David is no longer talking about someone trying
to find God. He is talking about someone who
has already made God his home listen to how he
begins he who dwells in the secret place of the
most high he doesn't say he who visits he doesn't
say he who remembers God when life becomes difficult
he says he who dwells that word stayed with me
because dwelling is much more than believing
it is much more than going to church It is much
more than praying from time to time. Dwelling
is choosing to build your entire life around
the presence of God. It is waking up every morning
saying, Lord, I don't want to live this day without
you. It is learning to recognize the voice of
the Holy Spirit. It is becoming intentional about
repentance, intentional about forgiveness, intentional
about sanctification. Not because we are perfect,
because we are not. But because we have discovered
there is no safer place than living close to
God. And maybe that's why this second valley
feels so different. Because God is no longer
trying to bring me back. I'm already walking
with Him. I'm already depending on Him. I'm already
seeking Him. So if He's not bringing me back,
what is He doing? That question stayed with me.
Because when I looked at Joseph, I couldn't find
a man running away from God. When I looked at
Daniel, I couldn't find compromise. When I looked
at David in the cave, I didn't find rebellion.
When I looked at Paul in prison, I didn't find
disobedience. What I found were men who had already
made God their dwelling place. And suddenly,
Psalm 91 made sense to me. The promise isn't
given to people who occasionally seek God. The
promise belongs to people who have decided I
would rather lose everything than lose his presence.
Now think about that. If these men were already
dwelling, if they were already aligned, why didn't
God simply keep them away from trouble? Why Joseph's
prison? Why David's cave? Why Daniel's lions?
Why Paul's chains? That is where I believe the
greatest discoveries begin, because perhaps the
purpose of this valley is no longer to change
my position. Perhaps God is preparing me for
something my present eyes cannot yet see. So
if these men were already dwelling, If they were
already aligned, why didn't God simply keep them
away from trouble? Why Joseph's prison? Why David's
cave? Why Daniel's lions? Why Paul's chains?
That question stayed with me, because if these
men loved God, if they sincerely walked with
him, why would he allow them to enter valleys
that seemed completely unnecessary? Then I started
noticing something. The valley wasn't the problem.
The battle wasn't the problem either. The real
battle was spiritual long before it ever became
physical. Paul says something that I think we
often read too quickly, for we wrestle not against
flesh and blood. I've read that verse many times,
but this time I stopped because Paul wasn't just
explaining where the battle takes place. He was
explaining why faithful believers don't respond
the same way everyone else does. Most people
only see the physical battle. They see the prison,
the accusation, the betrayal, the sickness, the
loss, the injustice, the fire, the lions. But
God sees something much deeper. He sees a spiritual
battle long before it ever appears in the natural.
And maybe, That's why he prepares his people
before they even know a battle is coming. Have
you ever noticed that? Before Moses ever stood
before Pharaoh, God had already called him at
the burning bush. Before David ever became king,
God had already anointed him. Before Peter stood
before rulers, Jesus had already told him, don't
worry about what you will say. because the Holy
Spirit will speak through you. Before Paul reached
prison, God had already told him he would testify
before kings. God always seems to prepare his
people before the battle begins. Then another
thought came into my spirit. Maybe that's because
God never enters the battle after we do. Maybe
he was already there. That thought overwhelmed
me. Because if God is already there, then nothing
catches him by surprise. Nothing. Not the accusation.
Not the betrayal. Not the valley. Not the prison.
Not the fire. Not the courtroom. Nothing. We
are often surprised God never is. Then my mind
immediately went to the fiery furnace. Think
about that story for a moment. The king ordered
the furnace to be heated seven times hotter.
The soldiers who brought Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego to the furnace died because of its heat.
The fire was doing exactly what fire naturally
does. It burned. It killed. It consumed. Nothing
had changed about the fire. Yet the moment those
three faithful men entered, everything changed
for them. Not because the fire stopped being
fire. but because the presence of God entered
before the fire could accomplish its purpose.
When the king looked again, he expected to see
three men dying. Instead, he saw four men walking,
walking, not crawling, not screaming, walking.
And that's when something became very real to
me. God had already preceded them into the furnace.
He wasn't rushing toward them after they entered.
He was already there. Waiting, preparing, protecting.
The enemy prepared a furnace. God prepared his
presence. And perhaps, that's exactly what Psalm
91 is trying to teach us. Protection doesn't
mean the fire disappears. Protection means the
fire loses its authority. The water doesn't disappear.
It loses its authority. The valley doesn't disappear.
It loses its authority. Death itself doesn't
disappear. It loses its sting. The weapon is
still forged. It simply does not prosper. Do
you see the difference? The miracle is not always
that God removes the battle. The miracle is that
the battle can no longer produce the outcome
the enemy intended. And suddenly, David's words
became much more personal to me. He is my refuge
and my fortress. A refuge only makes sense if
danger exists. A fortress is only necessary if
someone is attacking. David wasn't pretending
danger wasn't real. He was declaring that God's
presence was greater than the danger. And I wonder
if that's exactly what God has been trying to
teach his people all along. Not to become fascinated
with the battle, but to become confident in the
God who has already gone before them. Because
maybe, while we are still asking God where He
is, He has already entered tomorrow. He has already
prepared the answer. He has already limited the
fire. He has already declared that the weapon
will not prosper. And he has already begun writing
a testimony that we cannot yet see. And I think
that's where David's cave begins to make sense.
Because while David thought he was hiding, God
was already moving. Have you ever thought about
that? Imagine David sitting inside the cave of
a dullum. He has just escaped Saul. He's exhausted.
discouraged. He has lost his position, his reputation,
his home, his certainty about tomorrow. If you
had walked into that cave and asked David, what
do you think God is doing right now? I wonder
what he would have answered. Maybe. Nothing.
Maybe. I don't know. Maybe. I'm just trying to
survive another day. But while David was sitting
in that cave, God was already doing something
David could not see. Somewhere outside that cave,
God had already started moving hearts. 400 men,
men from different places, different backgrounds,
different stories, were already on their way.
David didn't know them. He hadn't invited them.
He wasn't recruiting an army. He wasn't making
phone calls. He wasn't building a kingdom. God
was while David was crying inside the cave. God
was gathering people outside the cave That is
incredible David thought he was waiting on God
The reality was that God had already begun working
long before David realized it and I started asking
myself How many times has God been doing exactly
the same thing in our lives? How many times have
we prayed? Lord, where are you? While heaven
was already moving, how many times have we mistaken
silence for inactivity? Because silence does
not mean God is absent. Sometimes, silence simply
means God is working where your eyes cannot yet
see. Then I began seeing this pattern. Everywhere
in scripture before Joseph was called out of
prison, God had already disturbed Pharaoh's sleep.
Joseph didn't know it. He woke up thinking it
was another ordinary morning in prison. He had
no idea. That's somewhere else. God was already
setting the stage for his promotion, before Esther
risked her life before the king. God had already
positioned her inside the palace years earlier,
before Daniel entered the lion's den. God had
already determined that the lions would not have
the final word. Before Peter stood before rulers
and authorities, Jesus had already promised him,
don't worry about what you will say. The Holy
Spirit will speak through you. Before Paul boarded
the ship that would eventually be wrecked, God
had already told him, you will stand before Caesar.
Do you see the pattern? God never starts working.
When we finally notice Him, He has already been
working, long before we recognize His hand. And
then another thought came into my spirit, one
that completely overwhelmed me. Salvation itself
was never an emergency plan. When Adam sinned,
God didn't gather the angels and say, what do
we do now? No, before humanity ever fell, God
already knew redemption would come through Christ.
God was never surprised, never caught off guard,
never forced to improvise. And if salvation,
the greatest story in human history, was never
an emergency plan, why would I believe that my
own life is? Why would I think that my valley
caught God by surprise? Why would I imagine that
my trial is forcing God to figure out a solution.
No, that's not who He is. He is the God who declares
the end from the beginning. He is already in
tomorrow, while I'm still trying to understand
today. And maybe that's why faith is so important,
because faith is not believing that God will
eventually start moving. Faith is believing that
He is already moving. even when I cannot yet
see it. Maybe that's why David could eventually
sing again. Maybe that's why Joseph never gave
up. Maybe that's why Paul could worship in prison.
Maybe that's why Daniel kept praying. Not because
they understood everything, but because somewhere
deep inside, they had become convinced that God
was already doing something greater than they
could presently comprehend. And I don't know
who needs to hear this today, but maybe while
you are praying, God is already preparing. Maybe
while you are crying, God is already gathering.
Maybe while you are waiting, God is already opening.
Maybe while you are wondering how this story
will end, God has already written the next chapter.
You simply haven't arrived there yet. And that
brings me to one final thought, perhaps the most
beautiful one of all, because if God was already
gathering 400 men for David, what else had he
already prepared before his servants ever entered
their greatest battles? Then I started going
through the Bible and I realized this is how
God has always worked before Joseph walked out
of prison. God had already disturbed Pharaoh's
sleep. Before David left the cave, God had already
gathered his future army. Before Esther stood
before the king, God had already placed her inside
the palace years before anyone understood why.
Before Peter stood before rulers and authorities,
Jesus had already promised him, don't worry about
what you will say. The Holy Spirit will speak
through you. before Paul ever arrived in Rome.
God had already declared, you will testify before
Caesar. Then my mind stopped at one story, the
fiery furnace. I have read that story many times,
but this time I saw something different. The
king thought he controlled the furnace. He ordered
it to be heated seven times hotter. The soldiers
carrying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were
killed by the flames. The fire behaved exactly
as fire should. It burned, it consumed, it killed.
Nothing had changed about the nature of the fire,
but something had already changed before those
three men ever stepped inside. God had already
gone before them. The fire still burned. but
it could no longer accomplish what it was designed
to do. Think about that. The men who approached
the furnace without God's covering died. The
men who entered it with God's presence walked.
Not because the fire stopped being fire, because
God had already prepared the outcome even before
they entered. Then I remembered something else.
When Israel stood in front of the Red Sea, It
looked like there was no way forward. The sea
was in front of them. Pharaoh was behind them.
From a human perspective, it was over. But while
they were wondering, God already had a path.
The sea did not decide to open by itself. God
already knew where his people would walk. He
already knew where the walls of water would stand.
He already knew Where Pharaoh's army would fall
the miracle wasn't an emergency it was already
in the heart of God and then Something became
very clear to me Maybe that is why Paul could
write with so much confidence We know that in
all things God works for the good of those who
love him who are called according to his purpose
Notice what Paul doesn't say he doesn't say we
hope He says, we know. How could he know? Because
by then, Paul had walked with God long enough
to understand something. God never starts working
when we finally see him moving. He has already
been moving, long before our eyes catch up with
his plan. And maybe that is what faith really
is. Faith is not trying to convince yourself
that everything will somehow work out. Faith
is resting in the certainty that God is already
ahead of you, already in tomorrow, already in
the courtroom, already in the valley, already
in the fire, already in the prison, already preparing
people, opening doors, closing others, moving
hearts, ordering steps, arranging meetings, protecting
you from dangers you will never even know existed.
Maybe the greatest miracles in your life are
the ones you never saw. The conversations God
prevented, the accidents he stopped, the doors
he closed, the people he removed, the attacks
he never allowed to reach you. And maybe one
day in eternity, God will show us everything
he was doing while we thought he was silent.
That thought fills my heart with peace. Because
it reminds me that my life has never been in
my hands. It has always been in his. So if today
you find yourself in a cave, don't assume heaven
has stopped moving. While David was sitting in
the cave, God was already gathering 400 men.
While Joseph was sleeping in prison, God was
already troubling Pharaoh's dreams. While the
three Hebrew men were walking toward the furnace,
God had already gone before them. While Esther
was faithfully serving, God was already preparing
the moment that would save a nation. And while
you are praying today, while you are wondering,
while you are waiting, while you are trying to
understand, God is already moving. He always
has been. Because our God is never caught by
surprise. He never improvises. He never reacts.
He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end, the one who declares the end from
the beginning. And perhaps that is why I can
finally rest. Not because I know how this story
ends, but because I know the one who has already
written the ending. So I'll keep praying. I'll
keep dwelling. I'll keep trusting. I'll keep
believing. Because if history has taught us anything,
it is this. God has never abandoned those who
made Him their dwelling place, and He will not
begin with you. Amen. Hallelujah.