The Glorious Life of Ups and Downs

To my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

I find it stunning yet unsurprising that this would be the “My Utmost” the day after my conversation with a friend last night. I know God is using O.C. to reach from beyond the grave and speak to us exactly, given our conversation about when we feel like we’re “not where I once was.” When we feel this descending, as sincere Christ followers it may not actually be a testament of falling, but rather of being sent out because of who we are in Christ. Be careful to discern the truth here: sometimes we actually have fallen and must rebuke our sinful behaviors and return to Christ, but other times we have remained in Him, though we feel this descending. I do not know all of your spiritual mountain tops and valleys, but I have climbed the mount in a period of my life, during which I was actually experiencing great trial. The passage below means a lot to me not because I was descending in my trials…no, that was the trek up the mountain, full of exhilaration, especially once reaching the summit; but climbing Everest is also brutal and can kill a man, as it almost did me.

Perhaps you have been brought to recognize that you are standing at the top of this mountain or very near it, just by the spiritual high with which your life has been filled. If so, then you can be exquisitely prepared by the passage below for what is next—the descent. I do not know if it will come in 1 day or 1 year or 10 years, but we now know to expect it. For you and for others who are certainly in the valley, instead of being discouraged that “we must have backslidden,” or “I am not where I once was with the Lord,” perhaps we can look at it squarely, thank God for the summit of the mountain, and set out on our descent willingly because it is necessary. And of course, I think He brings us back to the summit when we most need it.

I wonder if for those of us who have long lives on earth while in relationship with God, life and the pursuit of the Kingdom is like crossing a mountain range, which brings us from earth toward Heaven. With each mountain top, we receive another even clearer glimpse of the Destination, and we are inspired to continue. Yet, in order to reach the next peak, we must descend, and both the descent and climb to the next peak are hard, perhaps each more difficult than the last or perhaps not. Regardless, we find our lives oscillating and wonder why we can’t just walk the high road perpetually with our Lord. We will. But until we reach Heaven, our character is built with each mountain and we grow toward Him in an intentional way that is unique to the human experience on earth. So having more mountains serves to grow us in character and hope and faith and love in a way that we could not have otherwise.

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31

You see, when we're on the mountain top, we are soaring on wings like eagles. But other times we're just walking, barely plodding along with seemingly no progress. We will need to be able to do both, and God's promise assures us that He is our strength in all times.

We may be staggered for portions of our lives, you on the mount, me in a valley or vice versa. But we are headed in the same direction. Most have very different paths, and we are no exception, yet we can find similarities I’m sure. If you fall, I’m coming along beside you to help. If I fall, you know how to help me. This is a wonderful realization of our interaction as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!...Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. - Ecc 4:9-12

Realize that the cord of three stands is two believers in Christ, wrapped around the master strand of God. There is immeasurable strength in that cord. We have the additional opportunity to join up with even more believers, offering our strength and drawing from theirs. Our cord is then profitable for all, with greater strength than ever, as we realize that our individual strength is actually quite small beside the essential Central Cord.

From "My Utmost for His Highest," Oct 1:

THE SPHERE OF EXALTATION

"Jesus leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves." Mark 9:2

We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God's standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel we could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay on the mount. The times of exaltation are exceptional, they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware lest our spiritual selfishness wants to make them the only time.

We are apt to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching, it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz., into character. The mount is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a great snare in asking – What is the use of it? In spiritual matters we can never calculate on that line. The moments on the mountain tops are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God's purpose.