Mountains and Valleys

Over the past two years I often have written about mountains. It comes easily since our home is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The tallest are about 3000 ft (1000 meters) high. I can look out a second story window from my bed and see some of the beautiful mountain scenery that God has prepared for us. We can read the word mountain over 300 times in the Bible. Much of Israel is dotted with mountains. We often read of Jesus praying on a mountain. We all know of the Sermon on the Mount. He went up into a mountain to call the 12 disciples and send them forth to preach the Gospel. The Old Testament is filled with significant references to mountains. We see pictures of Moses coming down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments in his hands.

Frequently mountains represent barriers or challenges in life. I still remember someone singing Climb Every Mountain at my high school graduation. In Japan Prayer Network blogs mountains are mentioned quite often. I have also posted many photos of the mountains surrounding the large valley that we live in.

Today I would like to refer to mountains as a God ordained part of our Christian life. As we move forward in our walk with God each one of us will encounter mountains that will need to be scaled. In fact, over the past few days I have prayed and pondered finally concluding that our path will be filled with both mountains and valleys. They just cannot be avoided. Some spend long periods of wasted time sitting at home rather than stepping out of our comfort zones to face the challenges of our personal mountains. Some mountains may represent physical illness or emotional turmoil that must be overcome before we can grow and accomplish God's Will for our lives. At times we face financial challenges that are as formidable as any towering mountain! There are times of social or family opposition to our Christian life or ministry.

As we live and move forward we will encounter a continuous cycle of mountains to be climbed and at times deep valleys to be walked through. Apostle Paul said that he "pressed toward the mark" indicating that he would have to overcome obstacles in order to reach the goal that God had placed before him. We too, can expect similar resistance if we make any serious effort to live for God sincerely or to work in His harvest field of ministry. Living for God and working in true ministry is just not a "walk in the park"!

Mountains are scaled and valleys are traversed one step at a time. We can search for short cuts or an easy way around our trials and challenges. I believe that method only prolongs the tests. In James 1:2-4 we read, "Dear Brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy. For when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete." TLB

Wow! The Word of God is Spot On! What is there left to say about the situation? Guess we need to start walking! God is with us. There are a couple old Gospel songs that ensure us that God Walks the Dark Hills and that He is with us in the valleys too. David wrote that he walked through the Valley of Death, but that he feared no evil because God was with him. Jesus promised that He would never leave us or forsake us.

So wherever you are -on the upward climb, sitting on the beautiful peak, slipping and sliding down a rocky path or in a deep valley, God is there with you! He has not left you for a moment. We often get caught up in our troubles and fail to notice that God has been at our side all of the time. A quick sincere prayer of repentance may be in order. I have found myself do that often especially as I have faced my challenging financial mountains. David reminds us in Psa 23 that God is our shepherd and that we shall not want! I must repent and get up from the valley of despair and start climbing my mountain again just one day and one step at a time. That is how we overcome and move forward with victory in our Christian life and ministry of the Gospel.

May God bless you as you move forward in Jesus' Name Amen!

Dan Corbett
"Reaching One Among Millions"

P.S. Recently Sharon shot a video of the drive over our mountain. It is posted on YouTube if you are interested in viewing it. It is just for fun, no preaching involved. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBBX4dL_JNs (you can copy & paste it into your browser)