«　WEEK 1　DAY 6　»

　　2 Cor. 11:28 …The crowd of cares pressing upon me daily, the anxious concern for all the churches.

　　Psa. 84:5-6 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring; indeed the early rain covers it with blessings.

　　In [2 Corinthians] 7:2 and 3 Paul says, “Make room for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts for our dying together and our living together.” Paul’s word here reveals his deep, intimate concern for the Corinthians. This utterance is not merely something ethical, religious, spiritual, or even loving. It is possible to say a word of love and feel love for others, but still not have much concern for them….Paul had such a concern for the believers at Corinth.

　　A mother has not only love for her child; she also has a deep concern….A woman may be lacking in education, but if she has a deep concern for her children, she is qualified to be a good mother. Of course, knowledge and ability are helpful, but they are not prerequisites. The unique prerequisite for being a good mother is concern. The same principle is true regarding caring for the church. It is not adequate for the elders simply to love the church. This love must become a deep concern, a concern for all the young ones and weaker ones. This concern causes our labor to be fruitful. We all need this kind of intimate concern for others. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 387)

　　In 2 Corinthians 7:2 Paul says, “Make room for us.”…Paul’s longing was that just as he had the Corinthians in his heart, so he would be in their heart. The believers at Corinth were in Paul’s heart both to live together and to die together [7:3]. This surely is a word expressing an intimate concern. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 388)

　　[In Psalm 84:6a] “Baca” means “weeping.” On the one hand, when we had the intention to come into the church life, we were strengthened in God; on the other hand, we were opposed by Satan, who has caused many saints to suffer persecution. The trouble and persecution caused by Satan can make our highway a valley of weeping. If we take the highway to go to God’s house, trouble and persecution will come to us, and such things will cause us to weep. But God will turn our tears into a spring [cf. v. 6b]….The more tears we shed, the greater will be the spring.

　　Verse 6c says, “Indeed the early rain covers it with blessings.” According to our experience, this means that our tears become a spring and that this spring becomes the early rain that covers the valley with blessings. This early rain is the Spirit, and the Spirit is our blessing. This was the situation with a certain brother in Chefoo. Before he believed in the Lord Jesus, he was a Muslim. After he was saved and came into the church life, he suffered a great deal of persecution. This persecution nearly killed him, and he shed many tears. But those tears became a spring; the spring became the Spirit as the early rain; and as a result this brother was very living. Those who come into the church life by passing through the valley of weeping will find that this weeping eventually becomes a great blessing to them. This blessing is the Spirit. The tears they shed are their own, but these tears become a spring, which becomes the early rain, the Spirit as the blessing.

　　Those on the highways to Zion make the valley of weeping a spring (v. 6b). This spring is just the Spirit. How wonderful! The early rain signifies the Spirit. This indicates that the more we weep on the highways to Zion, the more of the Spirit we receive. While we are weeping, we are being filled with the Spirit, and the Spirit becomes our spring. (Life-study of the Psalms, pp. 374-375, 386)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of the Psalms, msgs. 32-33