Hills and Valleys
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain (Isaiah 40:4).
When you drive through Colorado, you cannot help but be impressed as you approach a mountain 12,000 feet high. But as you get closer, you are suddenly aware that there is yet a taller, more majestic mountain right behind it.
Isaiah 40.5 adds: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
The prophecy in verse 4 is two pronged. You see the mountain, you think that is it, and suddenly the 14,000-foot mountain appears behind it. The prophecy refers to both the first coming of Christ and His Second Coming.
Many Jewish people, when Christ was upon the earth, concluded that if Jesus were the Messiah, he would overthrow Rome, establish His kingdom and rule the world from Jerusalem. Even the disciples thought that would take place and thousands followed Him everywhere He went. They were on the mountaintop of life. When it was clear that this was not the purpose of His first coming, John 6:66 reveals that many of those who faithfully followed Him left and instead of being on the mountaintop, they found themselves in the valleys of this sin cursed world.
In Deuteronomy 11, God told the people of Israel that the land they would possess would be one of hills and valleys. They were on the mountaintop. When they came to the swelling Jordan River and the spies gave their reports of giants in the land, the people held a God is dead movement – weeping and wondering why God had brought them out into the wilderness to perish. Because of their unbelief, they ended up wandering in the wilderness for forty long years and it turned out to be a valley experience.
There are many examples of people in the Bible who experienced the valleys.
- Abraham did when he went down to Egypt and today we have a major problem in our world because of radical Islam.
- Isaac experienced a valley when Jacob deceived him.
- Jacob experienced a number of valleys until he met with the angel of the Lord.
- Moses had his share of valleys in leading the children of Israel through the wilderness.
- David knew well the valleys in running from Saul and after his sin with Bathsheba.
- Jeremiah faced a number of valleys that cause us to refer to him as the “weeping prophet.”
- Joseph faced major valleys only to become second in command in Egypt.
- Daniel and his three friends walked in the valleys of Babylon and Persia.
- We cannot even imagine the depth of the valleys Paul walked on his missionary journeys.
- Most of the disciples faced valleys of persecution and death.
- John, exiled on the island of Patmos, faced many valleys.
When you read the writings of David, Paul, John and others, you would expect to find words relating to suffering. Instead, we find words of challenge, encouragement, joy and peace. In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas were singing in prison covered with wounds from their beatings. That does not make sense from the world’s perspective. Yet David wrote – Yea, though I walk THROUGH the VALLEY of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for THOU ART WITH ME (Psalm 23:4). Jeremiah wrote, His compassions fail not; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23). You would think they were on the mountaintops of life. Paul wrote, If God be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? Paul in the valley prayed to the Lord for help and found a most unusual answer regarding God’s grace. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (II Corinthians 12:9).
Did you notice the key word in Psalm 23:4? It is “through.” God never leaves his children in the valley when we are walking with Him. More than that, there is nothing to fear or grieve about in the valley when you know that the Lord is right there with you. Paul learned the sufficiency of God’s grace in the valley. David recognized God’s presence in the valley. Daniel and his three friends saw God do the impossible in the valley. It was in the valley that the Spirit of God used the Apostle John to pen the incredible prophetic writings of the Book of Revelation.
George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.
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