Life in the Valley

Life in the Valley

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they
comfort me.
Psalm 23:4

Recommended Reading
Mark 9:2-13

Who doesn't love the mountains? The views, the cool, invigorating air, the absence of mosquitoes! In ancient times, worship--both pagan and real--was always in "high places," mentioned nearly eighty times in the Old Testament. The temple in Jerusalem was on the top of Mount Moriah; it was on a mountaintop where Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John (Mark 9:2).

As nice as mountaintops are, we live in the valleys below. Even Jesus refused Peter's request to set up shelters on the mountaintop to extend their stay. By their very nature, valleys can be darker with roads that have many bends and turns. Life in the valley is less predictable than life on a high place. We can't see as far or as
clearly in the valley, a fact that makes us insecure, even fearful. It is for that reason that God promises to be with us in the valleys of our life--even in the valley of the shadow of death.

Breathe deeply of God's goodness on the mountaintop, but when you return to life in the valley, know that God is with you. There is nothing to fear in the valley where you live.

Jesus was transfigured on the hilltop, but He transforms us in the valley.
J. Charles Stern