JOHN 6:16-21
All of us like to live on the mountaintop. We want to feel the blessings of God. We want to feel His power and the warmness of His smile upon us. We love to experience the joy of being a Christian! But what happens when we come down from the mountain? It is an inescapable truth that after every mountain comes a valley! We cannot remain on the mountaintop forever! Jesus said, "...In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33b).
The disciples had been on the mountain with Jesus. They had just witnessed one of His greatest miracles—The Feeding Of The Five Thousand. They experienced, if you will, a mountaintop experience! They had witnessed the great power and provision of the Son of God! But this was followed by darkness at the midnight hour, tempest tossed, in the midst of the Sea of Galilee. What was the disciples reaction to what they were facing? V19 says, "…and they were afraid."
We, as Christians, enjoy the miracle of the new birth. We rejoice in becoming possessors of the Holy Spirit. We shout in being made a new creature in Christ Jesus; and we rejoice in our first love, but then suddenly the storm clouds arise, temptations begin to fall upon us, trials seem to be on every hand. What is our reaction? Many times, it is just as the disciples-FEAR instead of FAITH!
We all love the mountaintops, but we must acknowledge that there will be valleys also! In these valleys, we will suffer storms, sorrows, trials, and tribulations! How do we respond when we come to our valley? : FEAR or FAITH?
Let us ask God to give us the faith to face our valleys which lie ahead! Friend, you may be walking through the darkest valley of all—the valley of sin. You may have forsaken God and His will for your life but don’t let the fear you are facing keep you from turning to God. Simply repent and ask His forgiveness and He will lead in the way He wants you to go!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Valleys After the Mountians
Posted by Dr Dave Noffsinger at 6:16 AM
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3 comments:
Three things for sure....There will be mountaintops, valleys, and God on the other side. I can't get over His longsuffering and willingness to mold and shape such unlovely vessels. Oh, how we should be overwhelmed by every gleam from His unchanging eye that He gives day to day.
I once heard a lady say "corn don't grow on the mountains". Her meaning was that it's in the valley times of our lives that we allow the Lord to feed us with the word the most. When was the last time we praised God for the valleys?
thank you Pastor.
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