God of Hills AND Valleys

Over the last year, I've been introduced a bunch of "new to me" stories or passages in the Old Testament. I'm finding this quite fascinating & awesome and it tells me a couple of things; there is always more to learn and I didn't pay too much attention in Old Testament survey class in college. Or else, I probably did read them but, like many stories and verses I choose to talk about here, it didn't make an impact on me at the time.

Too be totally transparent, many of the stories and passages have been introduced to me during a sermon or devotional I've read. I haven't felt a compelling urge to sit and read 1 Kings or Hosea. I'll stay with it though for a few days, gnaw on it, read commentaries, and ask the Lord to add His thoughts.

Today I read about a battle in 1 Kings in the middle of chapter 20 about King Ahab of Israel attacking and defeating the Arameans. The Israelite army "advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans. A prophet came to King Ahab after and told him to stay tuned because the Arameans were going to come back in the spring for another attack.

The king of the Arameans must have been pretty upset over the loss--who wouldn't be? His officials came to him and said, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they".

In context, it was typical back then to believe that gods inhabited specific areas. I think sometimes believers and unbelievers alike can put God "in a box" just as the Arameans did. We decide who and how He is. We might believe He only listens to "big prayers" and doesn't care about the nitty gritty. We may think of Him merely as "the man upstairs" or a genie or Santa Claus-like figure who should give us what we want. We decide He's "up there", not seeing or caring about our day to day.The Arameans thought God was no bigger than their idea of Him  when in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. It's a grave deception. 

Good thing for the Israelites, the prophet also told King Ahab, "Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD". There are so many truths to take away from this verse. Here are a few I've been chewing on today:

• We are NEVER out of God's area of influence. Our God is an omnipresent and omniscient God and there is no where on earth we can go that is out of His reach or where He cannot see us (which should both comfort and humble us!) Psalm 139:8-10 reminds us that, "If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise up on the wings of dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me..."
• God is just as strong when we are in low places. Valleys denote trouble or hardship, a far cry from "mountaintop" experiences. Yet the same power that brought us to the top of the mountain can comfort and lead us through even the darkest valley. A few years ago one of my co-workers was going through a very difficult time and I was hurting for this person deeply. On one of my drives I heard this version of the song "God of the Hills and Valleys". I could barely see through the tears and I sent the song to my co-worker to hopefully provide some comfort. Check out the chorus:  
• On the mountains, I will bow my life
• To the One who set me there
  In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the One who sees me there
  When I'm standing on the mountain I didn't get there on my own
  When I'm walking through the valley I know I am not alone
  You're God of the hills and valleys
• The most important (in my opinion) part of this verse is the last part: "...and you will know that I am the LORD". I think we often forget that everything is for God's glory--it's not about us. The battles He helps us win, the comfort He provides in trouble, the guidance He provides when our valley experience is done and we begin to ascend to the mountaintop again--it's all about HIM. Psalm 115:1-"Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to YOUR NAME be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness". Sometimes we're so desperate to win the battle or get the comfort we forget to thank or acknowledge Him. It's a practice I'm trying to increase lately, even with the minutia. 

So whether you're currently on the mountaintop, in the valley, or somewhere in between, remember that God is there, His power is present, available, and attainable to you, and no matter what, we are to glorify Him.