# Why all the valleys

March 16, 2026

Psalms chapter number four this morning, Psalms chapter number four.

We’re going to look at just really, not even one verse, but one phrase from the Bible. It’s amazing how much God can say in a few words. And it’s also amazing how many words it takes a preacher to talk about that. We’re just going to kind of get to it fairly quick, but focus really on a phrase. By the way, it’s all right to do that in preaching; you typically do that. But it must be able to fit back in with the rest of the Bible. You kind of pull it out, preach on it, focus on that truth, but if it can’t fit back in and get along with the rest of the Bible, something’s not right. Preaching, you take one truth, you elevate it, and focus on that. That’s what we’re going to do this morning: Psalms 4.

And we’re going to talk for just a bit here about why all the valleys. Has anyone ever felt like it’s not a bumpy road, it’s just a bumpy road? Anybody ever feel like that? Why all these valleys? Well, this is one reason for we’re going to look at this morning. Would you please stand as we read God’s word together this morning? Psalms 4, and just the very first verse we’re going to look at.

The Bible there says, “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer.” That little phrase, I’ve got underlined in my Bible. I’m just going to focus on that phrase this morning: “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” Would you repeat that? Would you say that out loud with me? Just that phrase. Here we go: “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” Good.

Let’s pray that God would speak. You would pray with me that God would speak to our hearts about that great truth right there. Father, Lord, sometimes I sure need to be reminded of this truth. Lord, I’m sure we all do from time to time. So this morning, Lord, would you remind us, encourage, and challenge us by this great truth you put here in this verse? Lord, make it real to every single person, older, younger, our teens, ever make it real to them, Lord. And just would you manifest what you’re doing often in the valleys? And, Lord, well, thank you for what you’re doing and what you do. In the name of Jesus we ask, amen.

Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.

“Thou hast enlarged.” That word enlarged, if you will, I grew. I had growth in the Lord. Anyone out there who would like to grow in the Lord? Would you like to grow in the Lord? I would like to grow in the Lord. And he said, “Thou hast enlarged.” You’ve grown me.

Now notice it’s David. God used David to pen these words. It’s really a prayer of David. But notice David did not say, “Well, you grew me when I got anointed and I was the shepherd boy.” That’s what it really grew. It doesn’t say that. He doesn’t say, “Thou hast enlarged me when I killed Goliath.” I mean, he was a good shot with a slingshot, for sure, you know. But it doesn’t say God grew me during that great victory. It doesn’t say God grew me, enlarged me, when I was anointed king of Judah, the southern part of Israel. It doesn’t say that. It doesn’t say, “Well, you really grew me when I was anointed king of Israel and already king of Judah, so I’m king of all Israel.” It doesn’t say God grew me then. He says God enlarged me, grew me, when I was in distress—the valley.

It’s springtime right now, and how many of you your allergies are doing wonderful right now? Yeah, all those buds and those blossoms and all the rest of that. And God is bringing growth right now, bringing it to the surface where we can see it. I’m liking the grass is turning great. I get tired to see them brown sometimes, you know. I like the green and it’s beautiful. But you know, a farmer or someone, they can plant seed, they can water it, they can fertilize it, but God makes things grow. And God is the one that will grow you in your Christian, your spiritual walk with the Lord. But God here gives us just a little preview. He’s saying, “Hey, I grow you in the valley.”

Yesterday morning at breakfast—that’s always a good thing at breakfast. Amen, you get to eat, you know. Come on now, we’ve got to have amends on breakfast now, you know. Yeah, we had egg casserole, we had sausage and bacon. Hallelujah, right there now, you know. Monkey bread and all the right, and some brownies with icing on top. Man, I got that part down, you know. But anyway, we were talking with Brother Richard a little bit yesterday morning at breakfast, and he was talking to when he went up in Chicago and then he went to the military and boot camp. You know, people from all across America coming there, and we’re all so different, whatnot. But Brother Richard, when you got—when you got to boot camp, did that make it real easy for your boot camp? Did they say, “Well, let us make up the bed for you? Hey, fellas, we’ll make the bed for you”? Did they do that? They didn’t make it hard. Did they yell at you? Just a little bit. Man, they made it tough. And they make their bed up. They mess it up because they wanted to get them in trouble. I mean, you know, they made it tough because they wanted to grow those men. Didn’t they? And he said, “I didn’t grow. I wasn’t enlarged when everything was going my way. I got growth. I was enlarged during difficult times.”

You know, they say the ground is very fertile in the valleys—riverbed property, they’d call it some farmers sometime back of the day. And that’s where the fertile ground is. Listen, here’s what I’m saying: You don’t get a great David unless you have valleys. You don’t get a great psalmist, David that penned about half of the chapters, you don’t get that without a man that’s been through trial after trial after trial. You don’t get a great Job that would talk about how God blessed him twice as much unless you have a Job that lived in the valley for about a year or so. You said, “Preacher, why all the problems? I don’t understand it all. I can’t tell every specific thing about this.” But I can tell you this: David right here, to the inspiration of God, says, “I grew when I was in the valley.”

Nobody likes the valley, but we like the product of it. But you can’t get the product without the ingredients. And he said it was during those times. Apostle Paul, friend, he had a whole lot of valleys in his life, and that’s how we got, one way that we got, the great Apostle Paul. That’s just God’s plan. “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” We don’t get our Savior, our Commander in Chief, the Savior, Lord Jesus. We don’t get Him without going to the greatest valley there ever was: death on the cross. There are valleys. That’s where we’re grown.

George W. Truitt. How many ever heard of George W. Truitt? A couple of folks. He was a pastor for 47 years of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Robert Jeffries is the pastor of that church now, and had several great pastors. But George W. Truitt back in the day—47 years—and they had to expand and build new buildings three different times. God just used him greatly. They say back in the day, George W. Truitt was kind of like just a household name in Texas. And they say he preached more funerals than just about anybody, and he was just—he was just the people’s kind of a guy. Whose families, they say—I hate to tell you this because you’ll expect me to do this, and this is a tough one here, you know, don’t listen in on this one here, you know—but they say he would go and borrow money to help people. And they say he would say, “That’s all money’s really for: to help somebody.” He’d borrow money so he’d go help people. God used him greatly, just George W. Truitt, what a great man and so well-known in America years gone by. But, you know, one of the significant valleys in his life: he was hunting with his best friend. Now the valley, you know, not as many people talk about that, but he was hunting with his best friend, and he crossed a fence. And as he was crossing that fence, he accidentally shot and killed his best friend. He didn’t want to preach after that. He would just cry and cry and cry, and he couldn’t preach. Finally, they kind of said he cried and cried. God got a hold of his heart, and he went back to preaching, and God just blessed him greatly and used him.

Friend, I’m saying, you don’t get a great mom and a great dad and a great husband and a great Christian unless he has someone. You can’t have a great experience captain of a ship that has not sailed through some rough seas. That’s just part of it. And valleys—God, He uses the valleys. And David said, “Hey, I was enlarged when I was in distress.”

Let me just mention a couple of things here. You know, a lot of people get saved during the valley. I heard a fellow on the radio; he’s a preacher, and he said, “I got rescued by jail because while he was in jail is when he asked Jesus Christ to be his Savior.” By the way, praise the Lord for our jail ministry. See, Brother Bill Johan or Miss Tabitha, your lady about that jail—it’s a great ministry. Our folks go into jails and give Jesus and tell them about Jesus Christ to those folks. But so many people get saved. I would say more people get saved here in the valley than on the mountaintop. Sure, a great place to get saved. By the way, I would rather go through 80 years of valley, valley, terminal trials, poverty, whatever it may be, and go to heaven forever and ever, than have a wonderful fame and fortune life down here, a lifetime down here, and spend eternity burning in hell. So, hey, if you’re not a born-again Christian, I’m not trying to be vehement. Can I encourage you? Turn to Jesus. You say, “It’s a rough time for me.” Man, today is a day of salvation in the Bible. Be a great day. You say, “I can’t live up to it.” Welcome to the crowd. None of us can. We don’t have to live up to it. Jesus lived up to it. We put our faith in what Jesus did. The valleys are a great, great time to get saved.

You know, the valleys—God often uses the valley just to change our eyes. Look over, if you will, in Revelation, chapter 3. And he’s talking over here to the seven churches of Asia Minor, and he’s talking to the church of Laodicea. And it’s the one that everybody talks bad about; it was the one that was lukewarm. And God said, “I want to throw you up,” basically what God says. They were, and he said, “You’re not cold or hot,” and you’re not on fire for the Lord, and you’re not encouraging anyone else, and so on. And I want you to see what God says to this church of Laodicea, okay? Lukewarm, they made God sick, literally. And I want you to notice what God says to do about it, all right? Very interesting, a little part of this thing here, Revelation 3. And look in verse number 16, please, because verse number 16—you’re there this morning? Amen? Good, good, good. Revelation 3:16. Look what he says. He says, “So then, because thou art lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth because thou sayest, ‘I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.’” That’s what they were saying. “Well, we got it all. We got everything we need. I’m good.” That’s what they’re saying. Watch what he says. “And knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” God said you don’t realize how miserable you are. I mean, to the temporal eye, you look pretty good, but the eternal look is pretty sad, God says. You make me sick, God says. Pretty amazing. Watch what he says to do about it, and watch what it does for them. Look at that next verse, verse number 18. “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire.” Folks, you call that the valley? Trying by fire. That’s not your best hair day; that’s the worst hair day. Man, you’re getting—you’re in the fire. The gold’s being tried by fire. Watch what it says: “that thou mayest be rich.” Wow. “And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.” Watch this: “And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see.”

Here’s what I’m saying: You know, it’s amazing when you go through trials, it changes your outlook on life. It’s amazing how, when you go through major trials, some things that you’re just so important to you, you realize how really it doesn’t really matter. The things that really truly are important begin to come to the top. It changes your look. Here’s one thing: It really changes your outlook on other people. Often, God is trying to use these valleys to give you a heart for other people. I was with a young preacher who’s a good man, good man. We were out ministering to people, and we talked to an individual, and I could tell that that individual had a heart breaking, just breaking. And the younger preacher didn’t get it. He just—boom. And I thought, well, when he goes through some problems, he’ll get it after a while. And several years passed, and I was with that same preacher; we were out ministering again. He had been through trials. And someone came up, and someone—they began, you could tell they had a burden on their heart—and boy, he keyed in on it. Now I thought, hey, that’s what trials do: that open your eyes. You see that you’re not the only one hurting; there’s a world full of hurting people. If you’ve been around here for a while, this is illustration number 78. You remember that one?

But I was amazed when I lost my fingers in 1992, and I was three years old at that time. No, I wasn’t. I was 22. But anyway, but I lost my fingers, and I was amazed after my accident for maybe six months, a year. I would just be riding down the road in my car, and someone would be walking on the sidewalk, and they would have a band-aid on their finger or missing a finger. In my mind’s eye, I would just catch it because I was so—I had a co-worker who went back to work, and he—and he had his hand behind 20-foot metal poles based on rollers, and they were rolling to a saw, and I’ve seen his fingers about to get smashed. And to this day, I can still visualize that because I was so sensitive to other people hurting. And sometimes when God takes you through the valley, it tenderizes your heart. You begin to care, and see, there are other people hurting out there. It’s not all about me. I want to help and encourage and love other people out there. But you can’t get that tender heart without some valleys.

David says, “I was enlarged when I was in distress.” Look over, if you will, in Philippians, chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, just one verse over there. Philippians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Genesis, Revelation—no, I’m joking. I’m trying to see if you’re listening or not, you know. Philippians chapter number three. Our eight-day-old is learning what a lot of you have learned unfortunately: to sleep through preaching. What about that? You know, it’s all right for her now, you know, but for you, it’s not all right now, you know.

Look over this, Philippians chapter 3. Look in verse number 10, would you please? Philippians 3, look at verse number 10. He says this—Paul, God’s speaking through Paul—“that I may know him” (that’s Jesus). I hope you ought to know Jesus. “That I may know him in the power of his resurrection, watch this, in the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

At this, I enjoyed this. The McCoys—they’re not here this morning, I’ve been out of town, whatnot—but the McCoys, when we had Rick Carter in, he was teaching us about counseling, and they raised their hand. They asked this question. I just—I just enjoyed it because other people have the same problem. But they said, “You know, they give premarital counseling or coaching, you know, whatever, these people have to get married. Praise the Lord for it, I’m all for that.” And when they raised their head and said, “How do you tell a young couple that is about to get married that there’s going to be problems?” They all think everything’s going to be wonderful. And experienced preachers, they just smile, “Yep, yep, yep.” And it’s just—they’re in love, and you can’t convince them there’s going to be real problems, you know. And I smile when they ask that question because, yeah, if I can relate to that so much. But here’s the thing. After that couple, they think they know each other. I never forget one of the storefronts; we had a couple of them to get married. I can’t remember their name, and I’m trying to remember the exact phrase, but I said something, “Well, you know, I had some things we need to go through this if we’re going to marry you,” you know, and one of those are premarital counseling. And she was like, “Oh, we’ll never have a fight.” I don’t know those exact words, but it was real close to that, or literally. Now here’s the thing: all the buried people are laughing for sure right now. But here’s the thing: you know, you think you know that person. Boy, I know them. We stayed up until 2 a.m. and talked. Isn’t it amazing when you’re dating, you do that, and you can get them to go to work the next day? Nowadays, it’s 9 o’clock, man. Let’s go to me. Okay, maybe a little later, but you know. But you get that young couple; they’ve been married for 5, 10, 15, 20 years, and they’ve been through valleys together. Now they really know each other. Miss Gates, keep praying for her; almost 68 years since she just lost her husband.

But friend, listen, that’s the same. You go through the valleys with the Lord Jesus. That’s for that phrase, “in the fellowship of his sufferings.” You’re going to get so close to the Lord. If you’re going to get closer, you’ve got to go through the valleys with him. Then you get to know him more. You get to understand his character, how he handles things, how when you don’t think he’s there, he really is there. And you go through these valleys, you look back when he took care of us there and there and there. That’s when you get to knowing more a certain part of the Lord. By the way, Jesus, he was acquainted with grief. He went through the suffering. He was despised and rejected, him. And when you go through the valley, sometimes it’s a time you get to know the Lord in a unique, special way. If you want to know him really well, you’re going to have to go through the valleys sometimes.

“I was enlarged. I grew when I was in distress.” Two more things and we’re done. Anyone want to say amen? We’re done. Come on now, you know. Hey, often it’s in the valley where we learn humility. I honestly think the greatest hindrance to revival in the United States is pride. God resisteth the proud. “If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves”—first step in revival is humility. Paul, he went up to the third heaven and he heard things unspeakable, and he said, “But yet the Lord let the messenger of Satan buffet me.” Why? That’s—that should be exalted above measure. That’s why we got the thorn of the flesh. God said, “Paul, you need a valley to keep you humble.” By the way, all of us are prone to pride. Someone texted me and said, “Well, I’ve always kind of admired your humility.” And I said, “Yeah, but the problem is I can get prideful in my humility,” you know, all of us.

It’s an amazing verse. I just want to read it for it. Psalm 138, verse number six: “Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly, but the proud he knoweth afar off.” Wow. Kind of goes in line when he resists the proud. Sometimes God brings the valleys so I can be humble. I read this quote a year or two ago, and I like this quote. It says, “Faith gets the most. Love works the most, but humility keeps the most.” So important. If the grace of God and the power of God is going to be on me and flowing through me, I must be humble. I must. Sometimes the valley—the honest truth is, it just humbles us.

Hey, often people get saved in the valley. Sometimes we grow our heart for other people in the valleys, and God opens our eyes to the real world in the valley. Sometimes I can get to know Jesus better in the valley. Sometimes I learn humility in the valley. And this last thing: the valley is often where we learn faith. I can hear old Curtis Hudson—he’s in heaven now—saying, “You’ll never learn faith in comfortable surroundings.” By the way, without faith, it is impossible. It doesn’t say without faith it’s hard. No, it doesn’t say without faith it’s pretty tough to do, but it says without faith, it is impossible to please God. Nobody likes it when things are uncomfortable. We’re out of our comfort zone, and we’ve got to reach out in faith, but that’s where your faith grows for it. And God sometimes puts us through the valley to grow our faith.

My sophomore year of Bible College, I was sitting in chapel. And a guy named Bob Hooker—he’s pasturing now over the Memphis area. He’s come and preached for us before. He did our men’s conference a year or two ago. And Brother Hooker was preaching, and I was a single student going through Bible College. I had to work my way through Bible College, but I was single. Hard. But he came to Bible College when he was married and had six girls. Wow. By the way, that’s where Aaron and Castro go to church where he’s pasturing it out. That’s right. Praise the Lord for Calvary Baptist, St. David, Calvary Baptist Church. But Brother Hooker got up, and he talked about going to Bible College with six girls. I always like to hear him talk about trying to get in the restroom on Sunday morning to get ready for church. Six girls. I think he built his own separate one or whatever, you know. But can you imagine that, you know? And boys, you’ve got to supply groceries, girls. Makeup costs a lot of money, you know. God gave grace to six of them. And that chapel message, I remember, he just told story after story how God answered prayers and did miracles for them, providing, taking care of them time after time. And I got done preaching, and I loved it. And I don’t know if I went to the altar, but I can’t remember, but I remember telling God, “Lord, when I get out of college, I would like to have some stories to tell how you provided for me.” Be careful what you pray for, friend. I don’t know if it was that week or the next week, but just shortly after that, Tuesday, I wrecked my car. Friday, I got laid off from a job. And after that prayer, that last part of that year was some of the toughest times I’ve ever had. But I got stories to tell. Got miracles how God provided for me. God took care of me. Friend, in the valleys, that’s where your faith grows.

Sometimes God allows—nobody likes the valley. My friend, he said, “When I was in distress, that’s when he enlarged me. That’s when I grew.” Hey, if you’re in the valley this morning, don’t quit. Don’t give up. Don’t get bitter. Don’t get mad. Don’t say, “Well, I’m sick of this.” It may be that God Almighty says, “I hear your prayers. You want to grow. You want me to work in and through your life more.” And God says to get to that point. What do you say? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow…” He says, “Hey, thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.”

Hey, often it’s in the valley where we learn faith. I can hear old Curtis Hudson, he’s in heaven now, saying, “You’ll never learn faith in comfortable surroundings.” By the way, without faith, it is impossible. It doesn’t say without faith it’s hard. No, it doesn’t say without faith it’s pretty tough to do, but it says without faith, it is impossible to please God. Nobody likes it when things are uncomfortable. We’re out of our comfort zone, and we’ve got to reach out in faith, but that’s where your faith grows for it. And God sometimes puts us through the valley to grow our faith.

Satan’s also working in the valleys. He’s trying to get you to quit. Trying to get you bitter. Trying to get you mad at the world. Oh, I said, “No, no, I’m not going to run from God. I’m going to run to God.” Lord, tenderize me. Don’t let me get hard and callous. Let me get soft and tender. Let me have a heart for others. Grow me, grow me in the valley. Would you tell him that as we have another verse? Tell him that. Let him know that. What did you say? “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in what?” Yes. Yeah, not on the mountaintop, but in the valley. And that’s where God often, often grows. So glad you’re here this morning. You may be seated. And praise the Lord, three different people to be baptized. What a blessing. That’s the Lord for sure, and excited about that. We have our junior church back there. Everybody turn around and wave at our juniors back there. And yeah, good deal. Third, three, six-grade boys and girls. We’re glad to see it back there. That’s great. And good deal. We’re going to sing a song. We’ll go back and get ready to baptize. And we might still get done by noon for all those of you that are—what about that? We’ll see what happens on it now, you know, but excited about people getting baptized. Praise the Lord for it. Number 252, number 252, “There’s Power in the Blood.” I heard the splash. I knew we were good.

Original File: 2026-03-16 - Pastor Paul Chisgar ＂Why All The Valleys＂ - Sunday AM 3⧸15⧸2026