Thursday, November 10, 2011

From the Mountain to the Valley



“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” ~Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV).


Recalling now, some seven years ago, how I had reached a point that I thought was a solution to my woes that only ended up as a deeper problem, brings fresh insight.


I couldn’t sleep on a Monday night so I went early into work—about eight hours earlier than start time, to be exact.


I wrote a two hour e-mail to a trusted mentor about a significant challenge I was dealing with (one of the romantic kind), did some work and then slept till daybreak. Later that evening I received his prophetic reply. This is what he had to say:


Just read thoughtfully through your letter and found myself on the edge of a canyon, looking out over the vast unknown of our futures. Below us, the beautiful meandering stream and the forest, to the left and right are challenging rock faces. I sense you are there, waiting with anticipation to stride off down the winding trail and into the hopes and aspirations of the future awaiting you. You cannot see the end, nor even envisage which path will lead to your desired haven. However, you have determined to wait for The Guide, and to be influenced by His insightful directions. You have learned to trust His leadings, that have brought you to this valley and given you a glimpse of your tomorrows. Along the pathway you will be tempted to turn aside, thinking you have arrived at a significant respite. Always seek directions from The Guide, and be prepared to move on to greater revelations. Remember Ezekiel 47, wherever the river flowed there was abundant life, however the swamps and marshes contained death (verse 11). Don’t camp by your disappointments! Be prepared to enter this journey only in the knowledge that the Lord is your guide, and He will lead you by the power of His love, revealed by His Spirit. “‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 29:13, 14)


There is so much good prophecy in the above short epistle—and good for further use.


It’s not strange to have come from a mountain experience to the depths of The Valley: one only you recognise, because the Lord has brought you there; for your learning—out of his unfathomable love for you.


As we look around, taking in the imagery, we are fascinated out of our normal world perspective, and we are drawn in to the mystique of the Lord God, and his further purposes for us.


This period is to be known as the period for Waiting; for determining the further steps along God’s path for you. It is a matchlessly unique path!


But what is common about the experience is our dependence on the Spirit’s leading to us get there; from The Valley, where we’ll learn so much about ourselves, to a fresh mountaintop experience, ready for the next thing. And that journey may take years, even a decade or more, but not usually that long.


As we journey, we don’t camp by a disappointments, but we learn through them and accept them, as we climb on to higher revelations. Greater nuances of the path ahead can only be discerned through patience; the receipt of insight from The Guide. Trust only that path.


© 2011 S. J. Wickham.


Acknowledgement: Mr. Rod Cridge.

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