God of the Mountains. God of the Valleys.

I live on a hillside overlooking water. The southern edge opens into a long valley, framed by rolling hills that stretch on for miles. For many years, I lived at the base of one of those hills. On clear days, I could see Pikes Peak, over 100 miles away.

In my imagination, my home was a castle overlooking that valley, the hill behind my house the “Mountain of God.” I thought of Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai, places where Moses met God in fire and cloud, and where Elijah heard Him not in the wind or earthquake, but in a still, small voice. I hiked that hill countless times, taking in the beauty around me: the Rockies to the west, open sky to the north, plains to the east, and neighbors to the south. I would look down at my home at the base of this hill and praise the Lord for His goodness.

My life has been full of mountaintop experiences; times when I see the glory of God, hear His voice, and know that He is near. My life has also been full of valleys, times of suffering, fear, and struggle. I love my mountain encounters with God, but the truth is that I live more in the valley than on the mountain.

We don’t live on mountaintops. We visit them. The valley is where we build our lives, where there is water, food, work, and community. The mountain is breathtaking, but the valley is where we dwell.

God of the Mountains and the Valleys

Recently, I was reading from 1 Kings 20. In this passage, the Aramean army seeks to destroy Israel. After an initial defeat, they assumed it was because Israel’s God was limited. In verse 23, their advisors said, “Their gods are gods of the hills… therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” They believed power was tied to place, that a god of the mountains would be weaker in the valley.

God responds directly: “Because the Arameans have said, ‘The Lord 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 CSB). And He does. Israel wins again, this time in the valley.

God’s power is not confined to geography. He makes Himself known in every place.

And yet, even as believers, we can fall into a similar way of thinking.

A few chapters later, in 2 Kings 2, after Elijah is taken up to heaven, the sons of the prophets suggest searching for him, saying, “Maybe the Spirit of the Lord has carried him away and put him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys.” Even they instinctively think in terms of location.

We may not say it out loud, but we often do the same.

We trust God on the mountain, in moments of clarity, joy, and breakthrough. But in the valley, in the long, ordinary, or painful seasons, we can begin to wonder if He is just as present, just as powerful.

Meeting God in the Valley

One of my mountaintop moments was the adoption of our youngest daughter. The years leading up to it were long and hard, full of uncertainty and fear. But the day her adoption was finalized felt like standing on a summit.  We felt joy, relief, and overwhelming gratitude. God had been faithful.

Most of our life since then has been lived in the valley.

Just this past week, I found myself there again. My daughter was overwhelmed, completely dysregulated during a drive. It escalated to the point that I had to pull over. I stepped out of the car, called my husband for prayer, and cried out to God for help.

Later, after dropping my girls off, I stopped at Trader Joe’s. At the checkout counter, the cashier noticed something in our conversation and asked if my daughter was adopted. When I said yes, she lit up. She had been adopted too!  She shared her story, her love for her parents, and what mattered most: “I always knew they loved me.”

Then she took my hand, asked my name, and encouraged me.

She didn’t know it, but God met me through her—in the middle of an ordinary, hard day.

The Same God in Every Season

God is just as present in our breakdowns as He is in our breakthroughs.

We tend to assign God to the “good” seasons and question Him in the hard ones.

Do we trust Him in both?

When I stood upon my “Mountain of God” as a little girl and as a woman, and my heart sang with thanksgiving at the beauty surrounding me, God was near.

When I wept and collapsed in my “Valley of Suffering” as a little girl and as a woman, God was near.

God is near.  

God is God of our mountains. He is also God of our valleys. Our praise is meant for the valley just as much as it is meant for the mountain.

“Am I a God who is only near… and not a God who is far away? … Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” (Jeremiah 23:23–24 CSB)

Where Are You?

Where are you right now?

Are you climbing, standing on a peak, descending, or sitting in a valley?  Be honest about where you are.

Wherever you are, He is there.

*For more encouragement, listen to this devotional from Sing The Worship Initiative daily devotion. I was asking the Lord for confirmation if I should write this blog post today.  I listened to today’s devotional and this was my confirmation.  God speaks!

Here is the song “Praise” for worshipping the Lord wherever you are today.