We have all had our ‘mountain top’ experiences. Even Jesus: for it was on a mountain that he met with Elijah and Moses, and his face and clothes were changed. The glory of the Lord settled upon Mount Sinai when Moses went up to be with God, and God presented him there with the Ten Commandments.
Yet, most of our time is spent either climbing or descending. Sometimes descending a mountain can be a harrowing experience; the grade being so steep that we often slip, and slide down at a speed too dangerous for comfort. Then we are in the valley: cold, dark and depressed.
King David spent much time in the valleys and he wrote in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for your rod and staff they comfort me.”
David recognized that he did not stay there in the valley! He said he walked ‘through’ the valley. Chris Tiegreen said, “This world is our passage, not our portion.” The valleys are just a roadway to another mountain
We can take heart that the God of the mountains is the God of the valleys. He is there when we walk through the valley and will lead us to the other side. Even the valley of the shadow of death will result in a heavenly home: atop the highest mountain!
So today, I thank God for what He teaches me in the valleys: for in each one, I have learned a lesson and come out stronger. I thank Him that the valleys are a temporary place on our trek through life. And I am grateful that He is God of the valleys just as He is God of the mountains.