Some people cry out to God when things are not going well. Desperate for relief they pray, go to church or scan the Christian book aisle for answers. Not me. Nope, when times are good I lift my eyes and arms, I sing and my heart desires to snuggle up with God for a good word. When my life seems to be going sideward’s, loop de loop or in the opposite direction of where I think it ought to be going, I snub my nose at God while my heart snidely says, “See, I knew you weren’t good.”
For the last couple of weeks I’ve been on the hills of life, believing God. I have to admit though, I limited my snuggle time with Him to only corporate experiences. Yesterday a refrain kept singing in my ear; though the message came from different choirs, I couldn’t escape it’s message: praise and worship precede breakthrough and opportunity.
I’ve complained long enough about getting my books published or having a speaking career. When will the tipping point of my passion breakthrough to its promise? Too busy sulking in the valley, I’ve neglected the refrain: praise and worship God, even in the valley.
Typical of my experience, when I commit time to sit in the lap of God and listen, He speaks. Enter in 1 Kings 20:22-28. The King of Israel (Ahab) is at war with the King of Aram (Ben-Hedad). King Ben decides he has an awesome chance to win this one and steal a second round of wealth and women. In the midst of this often looked over story, this is the verse that arrested me, “The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, {although I felt as if he was saying it directly to me!} “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.’”
Who is your God? Is He only a god of the hills--times are good, life is on the upswing, believing God is easy? Or, is He also a god of your valleys—when there is loss: of love, of income, of family, of promise? Whatever is mustering in the valley of your life, keep your praise rising, because there will come a day when the opposition is delivered into your hands so that others will know He is the Lord—even in the valley.
