Because the Arameans have said, “Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over all this great army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 1 Kings 20:28
I am in constant amnesia of what the Lord is capable of doing, as I enter into different seasons of life in which the season yields itself to unfamiliar territory. As a result, anxiousness soon arises. The Arameans fought a battle in the mountains against the Lord’s people, the Israelites, and saw how Yahweh moved on the behalf of His people. The Arameans quickly reasoned that God’s ability was confined to a particular region and area—the mountains. Therefore they assumed that if the battle against the Israelites took place in the valley, the Israelites would cease to win. No, like they actually believed this.
When I initially read this passage, I quietly chuckled to myself, knowing all too well that the Lord is not confined to the basis of a geographical region. Yet, the first time I chuckled, the Holy Spirit quickly revealed to me how often I, a believer, attain the same thinking as the Arameans did. What do I mean by this?
If I haven’t seen the Lord move within my life within a particular area or challenge, I forget that He too has control and power in that area. It’s as if the Lord is constantly whispering to me,
“I too am the God of the valley, Jessica.”
Looking back, I recall these constant whispers when, for instance, I desperately ran to my mama when my first pregnancy symptom arose, or to my girlfriend when the first challenge in marriage seemed insurmountable, or to my fiction books when I wanted to escape reality, or to some blogs when I wanted to read how others dealt with a particular struggle, or to my own wisdom when the Lord wasn’t answering my prayers quickly enough. And though these things aren’t wrong, in them of themselves, why is it my first inkling is to run to others before I turn to the Lord?
My motivation? What I truly believe deep down is, “I believe you to be God—but just not in this area. I’ll consult You when all my other options are exhausted.”
You see, it’s easier for me to believe in God for salvation from eternal damnation, but not from certain external circumstances or internal struggles. I believe that God can prove powerful in my friend’s life, but not in all areas of my own. I believe that He can set the captives free in the bible, but not those closest to me (of whom I’ve been interceding on behalf for for years.) In all these ways, I sublty state,
“Lord, you are the God of the mountains...but maybe not of the valleys.”
How hurtful.
And yet, in response, God graciously proves me wrong every...single...time.
When the lemon, the ginger, the crackers, and the carbonated drinks wouldn’t alleviate my morning sickness, I prayed and the Lord showed me exactly what to eat each morning—greatly reducing my nausea.
When I contracted a sinus infection that persisted for 3 weeks on end without relief, and the docs suggestions weren’t working, I finally prayed and the Lord told me to stop eating chicken for a day. Guess what? My sinus congestion actually cleared up by the next morning (I can't make these things up).
When I began to feel anxious at work and all my best efforts of breathing exercises and Facebook distraction couldn’t take off the edge, I finally prayed and the Lord told me to read the Word. He LITERALLY granted me His peace that surpasseth all understanding.
The moment I confine the Lord into certain areas of my life by making Him into a God of the _____ or a God of the ______, I forget that He is simply Lord. He owns it all. He knows it all. Because...He created it all.
PonderedThought: The next time you run to your “go to,” first ask yourself,
