By Sister Tarpley
NDG Religion Editor
“And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined:
. . . and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousands footmen in one day.”
– 1 Kings 20:28 and 29 (KJV)
Standing on a mountain, people are able to see clearly. It is the best vantage point to see what lies ahead.
Some people think that it would be great to live on the mountain all the time in order to anticipate what is ahead. God allows Christians to experience the mountaintop at times.
Think about Joseph, his first mountaintop experience had to be as a young man. He had the favor of his father, Jacob. He was given a fine coat of many colors from his father and even had a dream about his future.
Also as a young man, Joseph had a sense of destiny about his life. God often gives Christians a picture of their future so that they will remember this picture when they are being tested so that they will trust Him when they are in the valley.
But of course, this picture usually does not reveal how God intends to bring about the visions for the Christian’s life. This is where Christian’s faith and trusting in God comes in.
However, none of us really derive (receive) the character qualities that God desires for our lives while we are on the mountain. It is in the valley where the fruit is planted and harvested.
It cannot grow on the mountain; it must grow in the valley. God is a God of the mountain, but He is even more a God of the valley for Christians. In the valley, it is more difficult to see ahead; the clouds often cover the valley and limit the Christian’s sight.
But, it is in the valley that Christians grow. Joseph was thrust into a deep valley that left him wondering if the God of his father had forsaken him. Even Jesus hoped that He might be able to avoid the valley that caused Him to sweat blood.
There is a valley that each Christian must enter, usually unwillingly, in order to experience the God of the valley, and to experience His faithfulness in the valley.
Once Christians have spent time in this valley, they come out with something that they would have never gained if they had not entered the valley.
The valley brings much fruit into Christian’s lives so that they might plant seeds into the lives of others.
God does not waste valley experiences. He does everything for a purpose. If Christians are faithful in the valley they will enter a new dimension with God that they never thought possible. There is a harvest of wisdom and virtue that can only be grown in the valley. And it is good to remember, that it takes two mountaintops to make a valley; therefore, the Christian must be on top twice before he or she goes into the valley to grow.
