Today, we will begin a new series called Valleys and Peaks. As we come off of the celebration of the resurrection, I believe that it is important that we look at the reality that life is filled with valleys and peaks. There are times when we experience great high moments, and there are times when we experience deep lows. The same can be said of our spiritual lives as well. We are talking about peaks when we feel the LORD close and see Him do mighty things in our midst. The valleys are those moments when we feel that the LORD is so far away, and we wonder if He even notices what is going on. 

It can be tempting to think that I am the only one who experiences these valleys and peaks, but truthfully, we all experience them at times. Our faith relationship with the LORD is best seen as a journey. While we would like to think that it is something that begins and only gets better, relationships of any kind — even our relationship with the LORD — can go through ups and downs. 

Through this series, we are going to see how some of our heroes of the faith in the Bible experienced these valleys and peaks themselves. By looking at their stories, we can see what we should do when we do and do not feel the LORD’s presence.

ELIJAH

We will begin this series by looking at the journey of one of my favorite people from the Old Testament — Elijah. Elijah was a prophet that God used in many ways to help His people be where they needed to be. Elijah saw some gigantic peaks during his life, but as we will see, he also saw some deep valleys. 

ELIJAH’S PEAK

If you were to nail down what might have been Elijah’s highest moment with the LORD, many would point to 1 Kings 18. In that chapter, we find what I have called “Thunder on the Mountain.” 

In 1 Kings 18, Israel is led by a wicked king named Ahab and his equally (if not more so) wicked wife, Jezebel. You may have heard people call someone else a “Jezebel.” If so, that is not a compliment. Ahab and Jezebel caused the Israelites to turn from the LORD and worship false gods of the region. The LORD sends Elijah to confront the king and the Israelites of the day. Elijah tells King Ahab to assemble the nation and the false prophets of Baal and Asherah on top of Mount Carmel. 

So Ahab summoned all Israel and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word. 

1 Kings 18:20-21 CSB

The Israelites had been playing this game with their worship of following the LORD when it was beneficial and following Baal when it seemed beneficial. The problem with this back-and-forth is that you cannot worship anything with a divided heart. Worship calls us to devote all of ourselves to what we worship. Elijah called the people to make a choice. 

There are many today who are tempted to do the same thing. Some want to be a part of what is popular. If Jesus is the popular thing, they will be for Him. If it is something else, then their loyalty goes to that. Life cannot be lived this way. Truth is not fluid and does not bounce around. 

What we see play out in the rest of 1 Kings 18 is that Elijah calls out the false prophets of Baal to show who the one true God is. They agree on presenting a sacrifice, and the God that answers by fire will show Himself to the one true God. Elijah lets the prophets of Baal and Asherah go first. Nothing happens. Silence. Not even a spark. Then Elijah steps up and has his sacrifice drenched in water. After a short prayer from Elijah, the LORD answers unmistakably.

The the LORD’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, he is God! The Lord, he is God!”

1 Kings 18:38-39 CSB

What a moment! Can you imagine being there and seeing that? I would say that was a moment when revival broke out. Not only was Elijah physically on a mountaintop, but he had to be on a mountaintop in his spirit. The LORD had not left him out to dry. Elijah had called for the LORD to show Himself, and the LORD answered in a way that could not be misunderstood. What happens next seems so out of place. 

ELIJAH’S VALLEY

As you move from 1 Kings 18 to 1 Kings 19, you see a drastic change. 

Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!” Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! LORD, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.”

1 Kings 19:1-4 CSB

If you are like me, you are thinking, “What in the world just happened?” Elijah had to be on top of the world as the LORD used him in a mighty way and displayed His power in such a great way. In the next breath, we see Elijah running for his life, scared and timid. How does that happen? 

Our emotions have a way of playing tricks on us. Emotions can come on strong and cause us not to see our circumstances clearly. That is what is going on here with Elijah. Elijah had seen the LORD do a mighty work, but when the wicked queen, Jezebel, didn’t humble herself and repent, it threw Elijah for a loop. As she threatened Elijah’s life, he ran for cover. He forgot the power of God at that moment. 

While we see Elijah proving himself faithless at this moment, the Bible is clear that the LORD never ceases to be faithful. In 1 Kings 19:6-8, the LORD provided food and drink for Elijah to sustain him. These elements gave Elijah the strength that he needed to make a journey to Horeb, the mountain of God. It would be there that the LORD would meet with Elijah face-to-face. 

APPLICATION

What can we learn from the life of Elijah here? I believe that the LORD shows us a couple of important truths that He desires for us to put to work in our lives.

Just because things do not go the way we think they should, it doesn’t mean that the LORD’s not in it. 

We can easily get caught up in thinking that the LORD has turned a deaf ear to us because our circumstances are not what we think they should be. The truth is that as we find ourselves in certain circumstances, we might be exactly where the LORD wants us to be. It might be that He wants to show us something or use us in a way for His glory that can happen no other way. Do we trust the LORD’s leading in our lives, or are we trying to take the lead ourselves?

Do not live life by the leading of emotions but by the truth of God’s Word.

As I mentioned earlier, emotions are a fickle thing. Emotions can change quicker than the weather forecast around here. There is no stability to be found in our emotions. This is not to say that they are not important, but our emotions make terrible leads for our lives.

The LORD has given us something much more stable to build our lives upon. He has given us something that is a much better guide to the life that is pleasing to Him and best for us. That something is His Word. This is why Jesus prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Jesus knew that there was no better guide for us to use in this life than His Word. It is the truth that will never fail us.

While we all experience difficulties at times, allow them to remind you of your need for community. 

It is easy when things get rough in life to retreat from everyone else. We may even think that we are doing others a favor. These are lies from the enemy that are working against us. Satan knows that we were made for community. We are created for community with the LORD and His people. If we shun those relationships, we will find that we are removing our source of strength and encouragement when we need it most. Instead of running from these relationships that the LORD has given us with Him and fellow Christians, run to them and find the help that is needed for the moment. 

CONCLUSION

There are going to be valleys and peaks in this life. It is a given. I wish it wasn’t this way, but it messed up the original plan when sin entered this world. Thankfully, we are not left to the brokenness of this world. The LORD has provided a way back to His original plan. That way is through a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you have not trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I would encourage you to confess your sins to Him and ask Him to forgive you of those sins and make you a new person in Him. If you have made that decision, I would encourage you to focus on Jesus and follow Him, not the circumstances that come and go. He never moves or changes.