A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Yahweh says, 'Because the Syrians have said, "Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys;" therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.' 1 Kings 20:28 WEB.

When the Syrians first attacked Israel, they thought the God of Israel was a god of the mountains but not valleys. After losing several battles, they learned that He is indeed God Almighty on the mountain tops, as well as the God of the valleys.

Similarly, it is easy for us to feel God's presence when we are on the mountaintop. Indeed, God is with us. Our life is excellent. Things are looking bright, hallelujah. Praise the Lord! Yet typically, the mountaintop experiences are a place of rest and recovery.

The valleys are entirely different. Down in the valley is where most of our learning takes place. "Where is God's presence? It sure doesn't seem to be here with me. Look at this! What am I going to do now? Help!" Then, often at the last minute, He comes through, and our panic is all for nothing.

Mountains and valleys are a normal part of Christian life. We often cycle between these two extremes. We may be coming out of one while our neighbor is heading toward the other. So encourage one another and learn to trust God to take care of you wherever you find yourself. Too often, we measure God's power by how well He obeys us. Instead of us following Him and finding the way out of our valley.

Keep your head up, and keep serving God right through the valley and straight up the mountainside. He is the God of both the mountains and the valleys. In fact, He will still be God when the mountains and valleys are long gone. So don't get overly excited on the mountaintop. Don't get too depressed while down in the valley. Keep it steady. You will be back on the mountaintop soon enough.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for always being there for me. Please help me praise You through the valley and on the mountain as well. You are the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Forgive me for ever doubting You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Happy Sunday! For those who would like to join us, today we will be hosting our RHM Live Online church service. This is a special time of interactive worship, prayer, fellowship and an inspiring message. All are welcome! The service starts at 10am EDT. Here is the link to join: RHM Live. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.