God of the hills and valleys

1 Kings 20:28 (NLT) “Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So, I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

To give a bit of context, the Arameans were led by a king named Ben-hadad, he attacked the capital of Israel and demanded silver, gold, wives and children. Ahab the king of Israel, agreed to his request, however, king Ben-hadad was not satisfied and wanted more. He then said that he would send his officials the next day to search the palaces and every home, taking away everything valuable. King Ahab disagreed, leading to a decision to go to war with Israel. By obeying the word of a prophet of God Israel defeated king Ben-hadad.

After their defeat, Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains.” The following spring, both armies marched out for war on the plains and camped next to each other for 7 days. The bible describes Israel’s army as two little flocks of goats compared to the vast forces of the Arameans army.

In our own lives, hills can represent the high points in our life, a time when we feel that all is going well. In these moments, it always seems easier to praise God. But we don’t always remain on a hilltop. Valleys can represent the hard, difficult times in our life. It is in the valley that our faith is stretched, and we are molded and shaped into the image of Jesus. In these moments it is harder to be thankful and praise God. We experience hilltops to prepare us for the valleys - trusting that the God we serve put us on the hill and carries us when we go through the valley. He is not just God of the hills as the Arameans army said – He is God of the valleys too – where He defeated them!

I don’t know where you find yourself today. If you find yourself on a mountain or hill? Bow your life to the God who put you there – acknowledging that it is only by His grace! If you find yourself in a valley or plain? Lift your eyes to the God who sees you there – knowing that you are not alone! We serve a God that reigns over both the hills and valleys!!!

I encourage you to take some time and listen to this song: Hills and Valleys by Tauren Wells

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4rRCjrAyCs