Patrick J van Rensburg
1 Kings 20:28 “This is what the Lord says: “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.”
When we’re going through difficult times, sometimes it might feel like God has deserted us, but there’s something to be learned from this verse. Our God is the God of the valleys.
Psalm 23:6 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.”
- Valleys are unavoidable and part of life
James 1:2-4 (NLT) “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV) “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
- When you go through a valley..
- Draw close to God
Isaiah 43:2-3 (NLT) “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burnt up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.”
James 4:8 (NLT) “Come close to God, and God will come close to you”
- Call out to God
Psalm 50:15 (ESV) “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV) “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
Psalm 9:12 (LB) “He does not ignore the prayers of men in trouble when they call to him for help.”
Crying out to God is an act of acknowledgement that we are depend on God. It is an expression of faith in God and trust in His goodness and power to act on our behalf.
Psalm 18:6 (NLT) “But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears”
Isaiah 40:4–5 (ESV) Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together ,for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
- The Valley of Miracles
Joshua 10:12-14 (NLT) 12 “On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. 14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day!”
In this passage, there are five kings who came against the children of Israel. Joshua needs a miracle to ensure these kings are defeated. During the battle, Joshua prays to the Lord and declares, “‘Sun stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’” So the sun stands still and does not go down until Joshua destroys his enemies. Joshua needs a miracle; he asks for it and receives it.
Some argue that the sun can’t stand still, therefore, this story must not be true; but with God, all things are possible. God is the God of the impossible. What seems impossible to us, is possible to God. God cannot be God if He does not specialise in things that are impossible. To specialise in something, you must be the master thereof. God is the master of the impossible.
W. Tozer said, God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible– what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves.
Luke 18:27 (NLT) “He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
Jeremiah 32:27b (NLT) “Is anything too hard for me?”
Mark 10:27 (NLT) “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
Whatever your impossibility may be, no matter how impossible it seems, make that request to God. Turn it over to the creator who is on your side, and see if He will not step in and perform a miracle in your favour. Joshua was prepared for battle and did all that He knew to do to and believed God for what He alone could do.
Today believe God for what He alone can do on your behalf.