Devotional Thought – A Mountaintop View For Valley Service

05 Sep Devotional Thought – A Mountaintop View For Valley Service

“Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: ‘Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!’ . . . Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.” Ezekiel 3:12,22

Could anything be more anti-climatic? Here we find the extraordinary forsaken for the ordinary. The Spirit has taken Ezekiel up only to send him right back down. He was first lifted into a state of exhilaration – placed on the mountain’s height far above the daily grind of this world – so that he could experience the immediate and empowering presence of God. But as soon as he got to the top of the mountain and saw the Lord’s glory, God said, “I’ve brought you up here to tell you that you can’t stay. Go back down to the dust and drudgery of the workaday world and I’ll meet you there.”

A lesser man than Ezekiel would most likely have asked, “What? Go back down there? That’s where I was. Why did you bring me up here? Just to see the splendor and glory of this holy place?” The reason Ezekiel didn’t ask the question is because he knew the answer was “yes.” You see, no man can perform their service in the valley who has not first breathed deeply in their time with God on top of the mountain. You see, we don’t perform the everyday, commonplace duties that we’re called to perform by simply thinking everyday, commonplace thoughts.  Our mundane, everyday activities are only accomplished by exhilarating aspirations.

Do you think God called Moses to the top of the mountain just so he could stay there? No, He called him up high so that he could serve down below. He gave Him a glimpse of glory, a breath of Heaven, so that he would be able to teach ordinary, everyday, commonplace things like, “Honor your father and mother, do not swear or lie or covet or kill.” That may seem to be beneath the splendor of Sinai, but it’s not. We need the light of the morning so that we can work until darkness begins to fall. It is by the mountain’s height that we are able to serve in the valley’s depth. We work on earth in the light of Heaven’s love. We tirelessly trod desolate, desert sands with the beauty of the Canaan’s Promised Land in our mind.

Those whose work seems to most often be found in the valley must never neglect to get a glimpse of the glory of God. You must make sure to see the sunrise from the mountain top before you descend to your duty in the valley. You must get a glimpse of the tremendous possibilities that await you before beginning to walk among the tears of the brokenhearted.

You will be strengthened by seeing their healing, not their suffering. You may see those who are steeped in depravity, dead in trespasses and sin, but it won’t be despair that drives you on. It won’t be their ravaged, wrecked bodies which causes you to comfort and console them. No, it will be in seeing their resurrected body, their body as God originally designed it. It won’t be the sight of a soul imprisoned by sin, but the soul set free by the Spirit of the Living God that causes you to rise to serve another day.

Don’t ever lose sight of Jesus when you stand beside Bethlehem’s manager. Don’t fail to listen to the angel’s song as you tirelessly watch through Bethlehem’s night. It is the Christ that makes the manger manageable, the angels’ song that makes the night bearable. Beside the cradle of present powerlessness tremendous gifts of treasure are laid. Through the night of solitary watching come the sweet sounds of Heaven’s choir. Your service will be greater because of the glory, your watching deeper because of the song. Have hope and you will help. Enjoy a vision of the triumphant and you’ll be able to endure the valley of tears. Those who have mounted up on eagle’s wings in the cool air of the morning will be the ones who are able to walk in the heat of the afternoon and not faint.