In our walk, mountaintops are often associated with “highs,” while the valleys are associated with our “lows.” Mountaintops and valleys play an intricate part in our walks, as they are part of the process that God uses to move us from glory to glory. Each has a part to play and each one has a season.
If we want to grow, we need to walk through the valley where the land is fertile and full of vegetation. It is the place where much fruit may be produced. The mountaintop is barren and produces very little fruit, but serves as a place to appreciate the valley through which we sojourned. From the top of a mountain, we can appreciate the beauty of the valley. We are more able to see the lushness of the land. We appreciate where we have been and will anticipate the next valley instead of shunning it.
The valley is a place of humility, while the mountain can also be a place of pride. Isaiah 40:4 says, “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low” (KJV). In the valley we are more apt to humble ourselves before the Lord, and in so doing, He is free to raise us up. Sometimes the mountaintop can be a place of “arrival,” which can be our undoing. It is a spiritual high where it seems that nothing can bring us down from whence we came. At that juncture, pride enters in, and the process continues on –“welcome to the valley!” Take heart, in the process, the valleys usually become higher than the mountains we were on, and mountains to come are higher still. We learn better how to respond to each part of the process. We learn how to move quicker through the valleys, which means we learn to stop murmuring and complaining. We move quicker by submitting to the work God is doing in our lives faster, and allow Him to train us. The mountaintops become places of appreciation and clarity, instead of a perches of pride. Truly, there is a magnificence found in the valley as we gain the clarity of the lessons learned along the way. We are more able to see where we have been, and focus more on where we are going. Our warfare in these seasons is to remain humble before God, while offering up praise and thanksgiving, and worshipping Him in the beauty of holiness.
