In the New Testament, Jesus took three of His disciples up on a mountain where they saw Him in His glory as He was transfigured before them. Then they came down the mountain. . . .
And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:14–22)Peter wanted to stay on the mountain top and build tents for Jesus and the others. But they needed to come down to the other world and deal with its contradictions and miseries. As my devotional reading today says, they were “brought down with a sudden rush into things as they are, where it is neither beautiful nor poetic nor thrilling.”
The author goes on to say that I must live in the valleys for the glory of God. I might see His glory in a million ways in my spiritual experiences, but my worth to God is not measured by the wonders He does on the mountain tops. The reason? In my selfishness, when all is going well and I am being blessed, it is easy to do things for God. In the valley, in the reality of this earthly realm, trust and obedience must be motivated by faith, not by the emotional delights of being on a high with Jesus.
The man asked, “If You can do anything. . . .” and in that valley of ordinary life, called the valley of humiliation by the devotional author, this is where I’ve experienced similar scepticism. Do I know the power of God in the ordinary? Is He still who He is in places where everyone else seems to ignore Him and have no idea of His power?
When grand things happen, when prayers are answered and people are saved, it seems much easier to believe in Him and His power. When I am up against the “facts of the valley” then God challenges me to still believe, to be faithful and minister to others. He says to me, “All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23)
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Lord, this week has been filled with these highs and lows; the highs of answered prayer and seeing You do amazing things, and the lows of ordinary life where it seems You are absent and not even hearing my prayers. Your promise of “all things are possible” remains, yet in the valley it seems like You are not even here, nor are You listening to cries and requests for help and compassion. I know that I cannot live on those high places all the time. Your love and grace must also be shared when I feel the emotional and spiritual void of the valleys. I know that You promised to grant me whatever I need to be consistent. May my faith and trust never be based on perceptions and mountain top feelings, but based on the reality that You are the same in the valleys as You are on the peaks, the same yesterday, today and forever.
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