OCTOBER 22 - God of Valley and Mountain

"The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the Lord says: 'Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord'." 1 Kings 20:28

Whenever we stand on the mountain, we are able to see clearly. It's the best vantage point to see what lies ahead. Wouldn't it be great if we could live on the mountain all the time so we could anticipate what lies ahead? God, at times allows us to experience the mountaintop as He did Joseph and Jacob. Joseph as a young man because he was doted on by his father, Jacob. He was given a colourful coat, a coat that gave him status, and he even had dreams about his future. As a young man, Joseph had a sense of destiny about his life. God often gives us too a snap-shot of our future so that we will have an anchor point when we are tested, and so learn to trust Him in the valley. This snap-shot though doesn't reveal how God intends to bring about His plans for our lives. However, fruit can't grow and be harvested 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.

In the valley life at times is more difficult. Clouds often dense and limits our ability to see ahead. This week we received news that two good friends of Netherfield church have been, like Joseph, thrust into a deep valley that could have left them wondering if God has forsaken them – one has had a stroke, the other has a complex illness that is deteriorating. Jesus hoped that He might be able to avoid the valley that caused Him to sweat blood, but there is a valley that each of us must enter, usually unwillingly, in order to experience the God of the valley and His faithfulness, no matter what lies ahead.

Once we have spent time in this valley, we come out with something we would have never gained if we had not entered it. The valley brings much fruit into our lives so that we might plant seeds into the lives of others. God doesn't waste valley experiences. If we are faithful in the valley, we will enter a new dimension with God that we never thought possible. There is a harvest of wisdom that can only be grown in the valley.

Has God brought you into the valley? Though it's a place of testing, remember it's also a place of fruitfulness. It is where God brings what you know in your head into your heart. The only value of knowledge is when it becomes part of your heart. Look for God in your valley today.

Acknowledgements Os Hillman.

The music choice for today is “God on the Mountain” sung by Lynda Randall. Click on the picture to listen.