Many times, people feel the need to understand their own misery and suffering. When we are faced with tragedy, or even death, we often ask: "Why me?" What is the basis of life; upon what is life built. Men often measure their lives by their achievements. They count as their most important successes, the moments they experience on the mountaintops of glory (cf. Bcd.2:3ff). Yet, the reality we experience in the valley of suffering is more beneficial. Does any good come from suffering?

There are lessons to be learned through suffering. Israel needed some lessons that they could learn and understand only by passing through the valleys of defeat and suffering, not on the mountaintops of joy and victory.

The valley of Ai came quickly, on the heels of the great victory over Jericho (Joshua 7). God instructed Israel that Jericho was to be the first fruit of the Promised Land, and that they were not to take, as spoil, any of its possessions. "But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when ye have devoted it, ye take of the devoted thing; so would ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy unto Jehovah: they shall come into the treasury of Jehovah." Joshua 6:18,19) It was there, on the mountaintop of the victory over Jericho, that Israel brought upon herself the lessons she had to learn and understand at Ai, not at Jericho.

Israel had to learn than man is not sufficient unto himself. They had to learn what it is to be without God. In the valley of defeat and suffering at Ai, they learned that without God, man is nothing. God said to Joshua, "Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also; and they have even put it among their own stuff. Therefore, the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you any more, except ye destroy the devoted thing from among you." (Josh 7:11-12)

Israel also had to learn a lesson about the folly of materialism. When Achan reported his sin to Joshua, he said, "Of a truth, I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." (Joshua 7:20,21) Think how proud Achan would have been to wear, in the privacy of his tent, the beautiful Babylonian garment, and see the glitter of the gold, and the shimmer of the silver. Instead, all of Israel stood outside his tent, and he heard the cries of the widows who had lost their husbands in the battle at Ai.

"And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them up unto the valley of Achor." Achan heard Joshua's words of judgment. "Why hast thou troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day." Then, as all Israel looked on Achan, there stood between him and God one bar of gold, one little pile of silver, and one Babylonian garment.

How pitiful and worthless these things must have seemed to Achan at that moment. "And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones." (Joshua 7:24-25) As they prepared for and stoned Achan, all of Israel became more aware of materialism's folly.

From then until now, God's people have continued to fail at learning the folly of materialism. People today still haven't learned where to put their priorities (Cf. Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:15ff).

There are visions that we see only when we suffer. The prophet of old said, "Where there is no vision the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18) In Judges 6, the children of Israel were suffering oppression at the hands of the Midianites. "And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah." (Judges 6:6) Verse 11 tells us that Gideon saw a vision. He saw an angel of Jehovah. "..., and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Jehovah departed out of his sight...and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! Forasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face." (Judges 6:21,22) After Gideon had seen the vision, he understood the power of the Lord. He then ordered more than 22,000 men to return home and took 300 to fight against Midian. Gideon saw God's power in the vision, in the valley of the Midianite oppression.

The Apostle John saw a vision while he was exiled on the isle of Patmos. In his vision, John saw persecution that appeared to be destroying the infant church. In Revelation 4, John saw a vision of God's throne room. In Revelation 7, he saw 144,000 and those who were arrayed in white robes worshiping God. In Revelation 19, he saw the ruling Son of God riding on a white horse. Finally, in Revelation 20, John saw the faithful martyrs, ruling and reigning with Christ. There, in the valley of suffering and despair, John saw victory.

We also need to see visions. No, we do not need to see angels or miracles. However, we must realize that the majority of people are going to be lost and doomed for hell (Matthew 7:13-14). They are blinded to the glorious gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). We must also see that the gospel is God's power unto salvation. Paul said in Romans 1:16-17, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, but the righteous shall live by faith." Until each of us can see the vision of God's power, we need the valley.

There are strengths that we gain only in the valley of suffering. In Judges 13-16, we read the story of Samson. Samson, the world's strongest man, had to learn the source of true strength. His strength was not in his uncut hair, but in his Nazarite vow. Samson had dedicated himself to remaining separate from the world and working for God, but he forgot his vow and fell victim to lust and pride. God left him. The Philistines used red hot, searing irons to put out his eyes, and he was driven by the whip at the grinding stone. There, in the valley of pain and depression, don't you suppose Samson thought: "Now, where is my strength?" Finally, he turned to God. "And Samson called unto Jehovah.... And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them...Let me die with the Philistines. ... So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life." (Judges 16:28-30) He realized that the source of his strength was God, and not himself or any other man.

Will we have to learn the true value of suffering in the valley? God's holy will is often seen in ways we do not appreciate. Learn that true strength comes from God. Learn to see the vision of God through the power of His word.