Hills & Valleys

I will get back to Ephesians, but with travel and preparing to speak at our church’s women’s retreat, I’ve needed to pause on Ephesians.

With a friend, I am working through Grief: Walking With Jesus by Bob Kellemen. It is one in the series “31-Day Devotionals For Life.” Each devotional addresses a different struggle you may be facing, and includes Scripture, a short devotional, and a couple questions. I highly recommend this series of devotionals.

Day 3 was titled, “Grief Sandwiched by Glory” based on Luke 2:25-38. In reading the passage and the devotion, I was reminded how quickly our lives can shift from glory to grief and back again.

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29  “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

30  for my eyes have seen your salvation

31  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, [GLORY]

32  a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also) [GRIEF], so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. [GLORY] [1]

The image that came to mind was that of hills and valleys. We have hilltop experiences where it is easy to see God’s glory, His blessings, His new morning mercies. In the valleys, we often struggle to see those same truths. Not only do we struggle to see those “God is…” truths, but we have selective memories. Our tendency is to remember or see only the valleys, the suffering, the grief.

Psalm 23 describes our hills and valleys, but more than that, it displays God, who He is, and the good that He is doing in both the hills and valleys. God is with us in both. He is doing good in both.

I am visual, so I wanted to illustrate my hills and valleys depicting God in them. God continually reminded Israel that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who had brought them out of slavery in the land of Egypt. God wanted to remember the hilltops, so they would trust Him in the valleys. We need the same reminders, so below is a blank illustration for you to fill out with an example from my life below it. I want you to fill it out, reminding yourself of God’s presence and the good He is doing in your hills and valleys, so that you persevere trusting and thanking Him.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 2:25–38.