This morning I woke up with Lynda Randall singing in my ear:
Life is easy when you’re up on the mountain.
And you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known.
But things change when you’re down in the valley.
Don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone.
For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right.
And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times.
The God of the day is still God of the night.
(Tracy Dratt, God on the Mountain, 1975)
You can enjoy this song if you’d like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCTl4tUYIAg
If nothing ever went wrong in life, would we really need to trust and rely upon God? And, if we never trusted or relied upon God would we ever know the depths of God’s love?
I know…it’s kind of a double-edged sword that cuts both ways. Given the state of human depravity and all, I do not think we would fully appreciate the mountaintops of life without experiencing the valleys.
This morning I was delving once again into the book of Hebrews and the Bible Hall of Fame jumped out at me. This is the entire eleventh chapter.
The writer lists off the pioneers of our faith beginning with Abel who reached out in faith to bring God a better offering than his brother Cain to the kings David and Samuel.
Check out the feats of these Hall of Famers:
They conquered kingdoms, fought lions, quenched fires, dodged swords and overcame adversity when the odds were decidedly not in their favor. And, these were simple, ordinary folks who had nothing special going for them other than a gutsy faith!
These characters had the guts to stand strong, do the right thing, share their faith, lead with conviction and love well. But get this, all of these things can be obtained through choice!
What is your faith story? We all have one.
Was there a time when you fully relied upon God because there was no thing or no place left to turn? Was there a time in your life when only God could have pulled off through you what got accomplished?
I have had moments like those and they have taken my breath away. Sometimes all we have is a muscular, robust faith! But surrendered to God, mountains move.
Where God seems to shine brightest is in our weakness:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).’”
The question is not: Are we strong enough?
The question is: Do we have a robust faith?
If we decide to stick our toes in the water, God will make us more than conquerors:
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us Romans 8:37 NIV).”
And, for our effort in faith, God promises:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).”
Yes it is true that we live in a world of brokenness, despair, depravity and disappointment. But…and it’s a big one…it’s also a world that God chose to save.
If we choose the path of faith, God will make a giant flashlight out of us. God will use us to reflect his light.
Are you capable of this kind of faith? I maintain that any one of us are capable!