"Brief Devotions For Busy Lives" By the late Rev. Dr. Mary B. Johnson: 1 Kings 20: 26-28

 November 28

​"Now in the spring of the year, the Syrian general, Ben-hadad, mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the whole countryside. Then a prophet of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Arameans have said, "The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD'." -I Kings 20: 26-28 (RSV)

​Most of us can relate only too well to the Israelites of long ago who believed “The Lord was God of the mountains but not God of the valleys.” For it is certainly far easier to feel the presence of God in the soaring heights of grandeur that we see from the mountaintops and high points of our life. It is much harder to feel or believe that God is also “Lord of All” and just as closely present to us in the deep dark valleys of loss, illness, grief, death, loneliness, and despair we all encounter at some point in our lives. Certainly the view from the mountain top is far more inspiring and assuring than the view from the mud and muck of a valley flooded by seasonal waters. Yet, it is out of a long relationship with “El Shaddai” or “God Most High” that King David could proclaim with absolute confidence in the 23rd Psalm, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me O God.”

​If you are walking through a valley today of unemployment, illness, economic hard times, disability, mortgage foreclosure, grief, anxiety, chronic pain, fear, loneliness, despair, persecution, relational problems, confusion, hopelessness, or apprehension – please know that you are not, and will never be alone. For our Lord walks with you today ready to transform your Fear into Faith and your Anxiety into Peace. For the victory is indeed yours in Christ Jesus. For our God is not only a God of the mountains, but also the triumphant Lord of all the valleys in your life! Victory is yours!

​Prayer: Lord, Thank you for being God of my valleys! Amen.

​Meditation For The Day: God is Lord of the depths and heights!

​Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Fall Renewal (Volume 3) Paperback – August 23, 2017 by Rev. Dr. Mary B. Johnson (Author)