The Lonesome Valley

The Lonesome Valley

From the Quiet Inner Place

Pastor Calvin Cook

February 17, 2026

There has been a lot happening in life lately. Some good things and some things which cause us concern and seem to be the things that absorb most of our thinking time. There is some concern in this because it keeps us from seeing and experiencing how God is at work and what God is doing.

Dealing with loneliness seems to be an ongoing issue. As I find comfort in being in God’s presence still the loneliness that I know is experienced weighs heavy. As I thought about this and pray through it there was an old song that found its way back to me . Maybe it is because Lent starts tomorrow and I am desperately trying to prepare myself and the church for this significant time to leave the dust and ashes of the past for the new thing that God wants for us and to do in our life. 

The old song I’m speaking about is one I remember hearing on an 8 track tape. It was a song sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I can still hear Ernie Ford’s voice, almost haunting sing these words:  “Jesus walked this lonesome valley; He had to walk it by Himself.”  The word’s simple and plain. No fancy theological explanation just these simple words that still cut straight to the heart.

As I think about the lonesome valley we all find ourselves in from time to time, the condition of my soul, the hope of peace for situations that others are going through and preparing for lent. I get a very vivid picture. It is a picture of Jesus stepping out of the waters of Baptism (Matthew 3:13-17) into the wilderness for forty days. A place where he was alone, hungry, agonizing, tempted. (Matthew 4:1-12) A place where there were No crowds. No miracles. No applause.  What always strikes me are the words “the Spirit led Him there.” Not breaking Him, or punish Him. After all we are talking about God here.  

That wilderness, just as the wilderness that we find ourselves in had to be and remains today a lonesome valley.  And Jesus walked it alone.

This might be hard truth for us to understand. We like company. We like noise. We like quick fixes and shortcuts around pain, agony and discomfort. But the faith we’re given isn’t lived out only on mountaintops. It’s formed in valleys and struggles and how we respond. It is also a place where we don’t get much encouragement, and the weight seems heavy and the road seems long.

Every one of us will walk this trail at some point. Maybe more than once. There are seasons of highs, when faith feels strong, prayers come easy, and hope feels close enough to touch. And then there are the lows, when motivation fades, doubts creep in, and God feels distant.

What matters isn’t avoiding the valley. What matters is how we walk it.

Jesus didn’t rush the wilderness. He didn’t quit halfway through. He stayed rooted listening to the Father, trusting the Word, choosing obedience and faithfulness again and again. Not just on the good days. Every day.

That’s the invitation of Lent. Not dramatic spiritual gestures. Not trying harder for a week or two. But choosing consistency. Choosing to keep walking. Choosing faithfulness when no one’s watching and nothing feels exciting.

You may be in a lonesome valley right now. Or maybe you can see one ahead. Either way, this season reminds us we don’t walk blindly. Jesus has already gone before us. He knows the terrain. He knows hunger. He knows the silence.

And while the song says He walked it by Himself, the good news is this: we don’t have to.

So take the next step. Then another. Stay steady. Stay honest. Stay faithful.

The valley won’t last forever, but what’s formed in it just might.