Daily Devotional
"And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land."
Joshua 8:1
After dealing with sin in the camp, God speaks again. The silence is broken. The presence returns. And this time, His instructions for taking Ai are detailed and confident: “I have given into your hand…” The same city that defeated them in their self-reliance becomes an easy victory in God’s strength.
The place where Achan was executed was called the Valley of Achor—the Valley of Trouble. It became a permanent reminder of the cost of covenant-breaking and the seriousness of sin. But centuries later, God promised through the prophet Hosea that this same Valley of Trouble would become “a door of hope.”
This is how God works. He takes our deepest failures, our most painful disciplines, our valleys of trouble, and transforms them into doorways of hope. The very places where we experienced His correction become monuments to His grace. The scars become testimonies. The failures become foundations for future faith.
Your valley of trouble doesn’t have to be the end of your story. It can become the beginning of a deeper, more authentic relationship with God. The sin that once separated you from His presence can become the very thing that drives you to a more desperate dependence on His grace.
God specializes in redemptive endings. He takes what Satan meant for destruction and uses it for our development. He takes what sin meant for separation and uses it for sanctification. Your valley of trouble can become your door of hope.
Today's Challenge
Looking back on your life, where have you seen God transform valleys of trouble into doors of hope? What current valley might God be preparing to transform? How can you cooperate with His redemptive work even in the midst of difficulty or discipline?
Prayer
Father, thank You that You are a God of redemption, not just judgment. Thank You that even my failures and Your discipline can become doorways to deeper relationship with You. Help me trust Your redemptive purposes even when I'm walking through valleys of trouble. Transform my pain into hope, my failures into faith, my scars into testimonies of Your grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.
