The Hills and Valleys of Life May 28, 2009

Dear Friend,

 

Ever feel like your life is like a roller coaster? Full of peaks and valleys; all the high points only give way to the low areas? Every thing seems to be going well, God seems to be smiling at you, you are blessed, and then, within a few days, you are down in the darkness of the valley, with all its problems, difficulties, and breakdowns. I think all of our lives are like this. Ups and downs;

 

This morning in my worship I came across this interesting little story in 1 Kings 20. A king of Syria was threatening Israel, and finally made war with them. But God helped His people, and the Israelites won the battle. So the Syrians got together and decided that the God of Israel was only a god of the hills. Since they fought their last battle on the hills, no wonder they lost! So they speculated that if they were to plan their next battle and fight it in the valleys, then the Syrians would be victorious, since they figured that the God of heaven was only a god of the hills.

 

I meet a lot of people that think just like the Syrians did so long ago! They think that when everything is well with them and everything is going just the way they like it and they are enjoying prosperity and health, that God is smiling on them and they are right with God. And then when they encounter problems, hardships, and discouragements, that God has abandoned them and now they have to battle Satan and temptation on their own. But that's not the way it is! Let's go back to our story in 1 Kings 20.

 

As the Syrians were preparing for the next battle, and mustering their large forces of horses, chariots, and infantry soldiers, God sent a prophet to the king of Israel, and gave him a message of hope. "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 this entire great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD." 1 Kings 20:28.

 

Isn't that great? God says, "Hey, don't limit me to the hills; I'm also the God of the valleys!" And He wants to tell each of us the same thing. No matter what we are going through, no matter how dark the mists in the valley, God is still the same God, and is still watching out for us and working for us.

 

So don't get discouraged and loose faith! If you're in a valley, remember, God is the Lord over everything, even our valleys.

 

We're praying for you!

 

Mark