Exalting God

One reality of the Christian life is that there are both mountains and valleys. There are seasons of great victory over sin and heartfelt communion with God. During these times it seems that we cannot spend enough time at the fountain of God’s Word. No matter what part of the Bible we read, God pours out His truth in flood-like proportions. Then there are the valleys.

While traveling through the valleys we look around for help, but it never seems to be there. We struggle to hear God as we diligently, though perhaps out of obligation, open the Bible and read His word.  Our prayers for relief or deliverance seem to go unnoticed and we wonder if the valley has an edge, a place where the darkness is overcome by the light of God’s glory and presence.  Sound familiar?

Some valleys are certainly deeper than others.  Truly, some valleys involve more pain and depression than others, but regardless of depth or dryness, I have grown to rely on one truth as I find myself traversing the valleys of life: God has a purpose in my affliction.

At the outset such a statement seems harsh and contrary to God’s merciful character.  However, Scripture is clear that even the difficulties of life are meant to refine our hearts and prepare us for an eternity in God’s presence.  Take for example how Paul dealt with his own affliction: “Therefore we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:16a).  In spite of all the pain and difficulties Paul was experiencing, he testifies that he did not lose heart.  But how did Paul succeed in traversing the valleys without being consumed?  He tells us how in very simple terms: “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16b-18; emphasis mine).

Paul’s secret rested in the realization that his earthly life, which included both mountains and valleys, was designed to prepare him for the life to come.  Perhaps more than anything, in this passage we get a glimpse of Paul’s tremendous faith in Jesus Christ.  It is here where we can see the deeply practical implications of God’s providence.  He did not lose heart because he believed that his afflictions were providentially included in the “all things” of Romans 8:28.  His heart was continuously strengthened because he knew that God had a plan.

So the question I am routinely faced with is this: Do I honestly believe that God is at work in the valleys of my life?  As God teaches and empowers me to live rather than merely verbalize my answer, I find that it is through these valleys where I learn the most.  The painful reality of my faith’s depth is plainly revealed in my response to the valleys of life.  My hands and feet and eyes reveal just how seriously I take God’s promise to bring good out of the valleys.

Paul’s faith was clearly visible as the angry, stone wielding mob drug him outside the city wall of Lystra and left him for dead (Acts 14).  He must have had a peace in his heart that God would raise him up one day just as He did Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:13-14).  Or perhaps he genuinely believed that this life is really all about bringing glory to God.  One thing is certainly clear; Paul was living by faith and not by sight.

As we find ourselves in the valley searching for its end, we would do well to look for that which only faith can see.  We must realize that the powerful images of the valley have a way of monopolizing our eyes.  Faith, however, would have us to look for that which is unseen.  It was by way of faith that Paul saw the glory of Christ through blood soaked eyes in Lystra.  And it will be through faith that we see the mountain peaks of God while still in our own valleys.

We truly serve a faithful God.  He is loving.  He is kind.  He is good.  And along with a thousand other qualities, He is trustworthy.  If you are walking through a valley, know that you are not alone.  Keep fighting.  Keep striving.  Keep praying and most certainly, keep walking.   In God’s time you will come to a crucial spot – the place where the edge of the valley meets the base of the mountain.  It is here where you must stop walking and start climbing.  Do not be content with having merely left the valley.  Consider Paul’s life once more, regardless of difficulty or frustration, Scripture consistently paints a picture of the apostle as one striving after a deeper relationship with God.  In the same manner, we too must make every effort to move toward Christ, fighting to resist the temptation of being satisfied with simply being out of the valley.  Instead, we should take up our faith and pursue our great God, worshiping the One who is constantly working in our lives for our good and His glory.

The author of Psalm 95, much like the Apostle Paul, understood that God was actively working in his life.  Having no specific psalmist named for this psalm prevents us from knowing anything about his life, but it is safe to say that he experienced both the mountains and valleys of life just like every other person that has ever lived.  This is important to us because of what he says about God in verse 4: “In his hand are the depths of the earth.”  The psalmist worshiped God because he knew that even in the valleys of life God was in control, all was in His hands.

But there is more.  As we leave the valley and begin once more to ascend the mountain of God, we must not lose sight of the One we are seeking.  The latter half of verse 4 states this: “and the mountain peaks belong to him.”  We often have the tendency to lose our passion for God once we have left the valley, naïvely turning once again to trust in self.  I pray that we will not make this mistake any more, for the same God who held the valley we suffered through also owns the mountain we are climbing!

So whether we are scaling the mountains of life with energy and zeal for Christ or struggling to find our way through the desolate valleys, we must remember that God is there and that nothing is too difficult for him (Genesis 18:14).  He is our ever present help and encouragement and strength. Therefore, we must worship the One who is there, for He will guide us out of the valley and up the mountain.