Music Monday: “Meet Me in the Valley” by Tasha Layton
By: Debbie Waltz
As I write this, my family and I are just finishing another difficult week of coping with my ongoing health issues. Although we have seen many doctors across various specialties, none have been able to provide us with genuine answers, leaving us feeling powerless and discouraged.
Since I wasn’t improving, my parents and I felt we had no other option but to go to the hospital. This eventually led to us spending Wednesday evening through the early hours of Thursday morning there. After running several tests, the doctors determined that I have a UTI that is resistant to the usual antibiotics and treatments.
The final result: I’m now on my third—and hopefully final—round of antibiotics, this one being much stronger. So far, we’ve seen a significant improvement compared to the previous treatment, and I’m hopeful this means I’ll be back to my regular self soon.
Times like these can often lead us to question God’s faithfulness or wonder why we are going through something so difficult.
Did I do something wrong? Is God trying to teach me something? Why is this happening?
These are some of the questions I’ve been wrestling with lately. As Christians, we are reminded that this life won’t be easy. As John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
But notice the conditional phrase “so that in me” here. It implies relying on Jesus rather than on our own physical strength or outward circumstances. It means trusting that His strength is made perfect in our weakness and that His presence sustains us when everything around us feels uncertain. In those moments, the hardest valleys can teach us to lean more deeply on God and trust Him one day at a time.
As some of my favorite lines from Psalms 91 illustrate: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress in whom I trust.'” (91:1 NIV)
Or this one in verse 4: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91 is filled with all kinds of language assuring us of his faithfulness and security even amidst the chaos
That’s one reason Tasha Layton’s “Meet Me in the Valley” has been especially meaningful to me this week. The song reminds me that God meets us right where we are—even in the valleys we never expected to walk through.
I may not understand why I’m facing these health struggles. I may not have all the answers I want, and there may still be difficult days ahead. But I can choose to trust that God is present in the middle of it all.
He doesn’t promise that we will never walk through valleys. But He does promise that we never have to walk through them alone.
And sometimes, that is enough to take the next step.