GOD OF MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS by Francis Frangipane
"The battles we face are often intense times of weakness, distress
and confusion. If the events of our lives were charted, these would be
the lowest points. Yet the Lord is no less with us during difficulties
than at other times. In fact, these valleys are often as much the plan
of God as our mountaintop experiences.No matter what the enemy tries to tell you, Christ is God of the mountains and He is God of the valleys. He has not stopped being your Lord because you happen to be in a valley. He is the God of glory as seen in His power and miracles. In the valleys He reveals Himself as faithful, loyally committed to us in our difficulties and distresses. In and through all things He is our God.
When we are on the mountaintops of our Christian experience, we can see our future clearly. We have perspective and confidence. When we are in one of life's valleys, however, our vision is limited and our future seems hidden. Yet valleys are also the most fertile places on earth. Valleys produce fruitfulness. You can expect there to be a harvest of virtue when God dwells with you in the valleys of life."
"Drifting
on a lake in a boat is one thing; drifting in life is something else
entirely. If you fall asleep in a boat, nothing much happens. If you
try to sleepwalk through life, you will end up somewhere you never
intended. Hebrews 2:1 warns us, “We must pay more careful attention,
therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Drifting from Christ comes naturally – we humans
are inclined to wander away from God. But it takes supernatural
discipline to anchor yourself to Him when strong, cultural currents are
tugging at your heart. Every day we are rowing upstream, against the
tide, and it's possible for any of us to float away morally or
spiritually. Friend, do not coast away from your first love of Jesus.
Don’t look up at the end of this month and be stunned at the distance
between you and God. Use today, Sunday, to anchor yourself to His Word,
and sing with me the words to this sweet, old hymn: "Prone to wander,
Lord I feel it; prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, oh,
take and seal; seal it for Thy courts above". ~Joni
"When
trouble strikes, we sometimes forget our knowledge of God too. We
struggle to recall past answers to prayer, specific guidance provided
by the Holy Spirit, and lessons learned in previous crises. Only the
present seems real. Our minds spin with future implications, and our
troubled emotions inhibit clear thinking.
In our own strength, we lack sufficient resources and abilities to meet life's challenges. So God provides what we need. Our suffering is never a surprise to the Lord. He knows everything we are going through. More than that, He’s orchestrating our circumstances for His glory and our benefit, according to His good will.
Reflecting on the divine purpose in hardship can help us respond to trials in a God-honoring way. Let’s take a moment to fix our attention on the Lord and seek to understand the lessons He wants us to learn through life’s dark moments.
1. One purpose for hardship is cleansing. Because of our own "flesh" nature and the self-absorbed world we live in, it's easy to develop selfish attitudes, mixed-up priorities, and ungodly habits. The pressures that bear down on us from stormy situations are meant to bring these impurities to our attention and direct us to a place of repentance. Our trials are intended to purify and guide us back to godliness, not to ruin our lives.
2. A second reason we face difficulty is so that we'll be compassionate and bring comfort to others. God's work in our lives is not intended solely for us. It's designed to reach a world that does not recognize or acknowledge Him. The Lord uses our challenges to equip us for serving others. As we experience suffering, we will learn about God's sufficiency, His comforting presence, and His strength to help us endure. Our testimony during times of difficulty will be authentic. Those to whom we minister will recognize that we know and understand their pain. What credibility would we have with people in crisis if we never experienced a deep need?
3. Another promise God makes is that He'll provide a path through any trial. The disciples probably wondered how long the storm would last and whether they would make it safely to shore. Most likely, they wished it never happened. But, had they somehow avoided this storm, they would have missed the demonstration of Jesus' power over the sea and wind. The frightening situation was transformed into a revelation of the Savior's divine nature. God wants to make His power known through our trials too.
4. The most important thing He gives us is an awareness of His presence. At first, the disciples believed they were alone in a terrifying storm. When they initially spotted Jesus, their fear increased. They thought He was a ghost. But as they recognized Him, their fear changed to relief and hope. Similarly, we may not sense God's presence during a crisis. But He has promised always to be with us (Heb. 13:5-6). The assurance that the Lord will never leave provides immediate comfort, an infusion of courage, and a sense of confidence to endure.
No one enjoys suffering. But in the hands of almighty God, trials become tools. He uses hardship to shape believers into the people He intends them to be. Jesus allowed the disciples to experience the fear and anxiety of being in a boat on a raging sea. He permitted them to suffer because He had something far more important to teach them. He wanted the disciples to recognize their own helplessness, His sufficiency, and their dependence on Him.
Ask God to reveal His abiding presence in the midst of your trouble. He provides for our spiritual needs to both endure and grow stronger in our Christian faith. What challenges do you face? Are you using what God has provided?" ~Dr. Charles Stanley
In our own strength, we lack sufficient resources and abilities to meet life's challenges. So God provides what we need. Our suffering is never a surprise to the Lord. He knows everything we are going through. More than that, He’s orchestrating our circumstances for His glory and our benefit, according to His good will.
Reflecting on the divine purpose in hardship can help us respond to trials in a God-honoring way. Let’s take a moment to fix our attention on the Lord and seek to understand the lessons He wants us to learn through life’s dark moments.
1. One purpose for hardship is cleansing. Because of our own "flesh" nature and the self-absorbed world we live in, it's easy to develop selfish attitudes, mixed-up priorities, and ungodly habits. The pressures that bear down on us from stormy situations are meant to bring these impurities to our attention and direct us to a place of repentance. Our trials are intended to purify and guide us back to godliness, not to ruin our lives.
2. A second reason we face difficulty is so that we'll be compassionate and bring comfort to others. God's work in our lives is not intended solely for us. It's designed to reach a world that does not recognize or acknowledge Him. The Lord uses our challenges to equip us for serving others. As we experience suffering, we will learn about God's sufficiency, His comforting presence, and His strength to help us endure. Our testimony during times of difficulty will be authentic. Those to whom we minister will recognize that we know and understand their pain. What credibility would we have with people in crisis if we never experienced a deep need?
3. Another promise God makes is that He'll provide a path through any trial. The disciples probably wondered how long the storm would last and whether they would make it safely to shore. Most likely, they wished it never happened. But, had they somehow avoided this storm, they would have missed the demonstration of Jesus' power over the sea and wind. The frightening situation was transformed into a revelation of the Savior's divine nature. God wants to make His power known through our trials too.
4. The most important thing He gives us is an awareness of His presence. At first, the disciples believed they were alone in a terrifying storm. When they initially spotted Jesus, their fear increased. They thought He was a ghost. But as they recognized Him, their fear changed to relief and hope. Similarly, we may not sense God's presence during a crisis. But He has promised always to be with us (Heb. 13:5-6). The assurance that the Lord will never leave provides immediate comfort, an infusion of courage, and a sense of confidence to endure.
No one enjoys suffering. But in the hands of almighty God, trials become tools. He uses hardship to shape believers into the people He intends them to be. Jesus allowed the disciples to experience the fear and anxiety of being in a boat on a raging sea. He permitted them to suffer because He had something far more important to teach them. He wanted the disciples to recognize their own helplessness, His sufficiency, and their dependence on Him.
Ask God to reveal His abiding presence in the midst of your trouble. He provides for our spiritual needs to both endure and grow stronger in our Christian faith. What challenges do you face? Are you using what God has provided?" ~Dr. Charles Stanley
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