“Patience is more than endurance. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says–‘I cannot stand anymore.’ God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands. Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” – Oswald Chambers
Maybe it’s the complete restoration of health after a prolonged illness, or the career promotion we’ve long awaited. Perhaps it’s seeing our youngest graduate from college, or signing our name on the final check that pays off the mortgage. Or maybe it’s the joy of sipping a cup of coffee on the morning of the first official day of our retirement.
How natural it is for us to look forward to these refreshing mountaintop experiences in life, these blessings from God. But as we celebrate the breathtaking beauty of the morning’s sunrise from atop the mountain, do we overlook the splendor of the valley below that led us here? Do we take time to consider that it was there in the ordinary struggle where God met us, revealed Himself to us, and began shaping and molding us so that we might become useful to Him?
Loved ones, as wonderful as these mountaintop experiences might be, we weren’t created for them. This isn’t where we discover our true identity in Christ. Although the heights of the mountain might give the illusion that we’ve never been closer to God, the reality is that sometimes it is here when we’re furthest away. The valley below – this is where God teaches us how to keep walking when we feel like fainting, to love when we feel like hating, to give when we feel like we have nothing left to offer, and to stretch when we feel like breaking.
Not that we should never appreciate these wonderful mountaintop blessings. God forbid us from ever taking his mercy and kindness for granted! But neither should we forget all of the toil and suffering of an ordinary everyday life. It is here, in the valley, where God does His greatest work in us. It is here where we learn what patient faith truly is.
Former Blackout Artist 