Valleys of Victory

“Valleys of Victory”
By Pastor Kent Munsey
May 2, 2021

At about this same time Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his troops. He recruited in addition thirty-two local sheiks, all outfitted with horses and chariots. He set out in force and surrounded Samaria, ready to make war. He sent an envoy into the city to set his terms before Ahab king of Israel: “Ben-Hadad lays claim to your silver and gold, and to the pick of your wives and sons.” The king of Israel accepted the terms: “As you say, distinguished lord; I and everything I have is yours.”

But then the envoy returned a second time, saying, “On second thought, I want it all—your silver and gold and all your wives and sons. Hand them over—the whole works. I’ll give you twenty-four hours; then my servants will arrive to search your palace and the houses of your officials and loot them; anything that strikes their fancy, they’ll take.”...

Meanwhile the advisors to the king of Aram said, “Their god is a god of the mountains—we don’t stand a chance against them there. So let’s engage them on the plain where we’ll have the advantage….

Just then a holy man approached the king of Israel saying, “This is God’s word: Because Aram said, ‘God is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,’ I’ll hand over this huge mob of an army to you. Then you’ll know that I am God.”

• 1 Kings 20:1-6, 23, 28 (MSG)

In this passage, we see a picture of Israel’s enemies, which gives us insight into our enemy, Satan. The Bible says that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. There are three things that Israel’s enemies wanted from them: all of their gold (their finances), their women and children (their future), and their strength and joy. Our enemy wants to steal our finances, our family, and our faith. 

In the passage, the king of Israel was seeking peace. As children of God, we should always pursue peace. Peace is always worth pursuing, and peace always comes with a price tag. We are to live at peace with all people. However, there are times when peace cannot be established, and we must fight. There are some things worth fighting for-- your faith, friends, family, and what god has blessed you with. 

The king of Israel fought the good fight of faith. When the enemy came, the Lord brought a great victory, and Israel defended itself from their high ground. But, then the enemy came back to attack them in the valley.  In 1 Kings 20:28, God declares that he will deliver them again. 

The Lord wanted the children of Israel to know that he was not just the lord of the high places but also of the valleys. The enemy thought the Israelites would be more vulnerable in the valleys, and we do tend to be more vulnerable in the challenging times. It is critical for us to know that the Lord is the lord of the valleys also (Psalm 23). As we have walked through a valley season this last year, there are three things that are critical for us to learn in the valleys. 

1. The thoughts that we think matter in the valleys. When you are in pain or loss, it is critical that you think the right thoughts. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he. Before God spoke he thought. Words are the results of thoughts. In the beginning, God thought and then he spoke. We need to think the right thoughts because our thoughts begin to get in our spirits. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. We must have the right thoughts about God in the valley. God is with us in the valley. 

2. The words that we speak matter in the valleys. When God brought Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones he asked Ezekiel if these bones could live. When God asks you a question he's not looking for an answer; he's looking for faith. God told him to prophesy to the bones. Prophesy is just to pro-see. God saw life for the bones. When Ezekiel spoke to the bones, God breathed and they began to rattle and grow fresh. He told Ezekiel to speak breath. He showed Ezekiel the power of words in the valley. 

3. The strength we find in the valley is necessary. David was anointed to be king three times. He received an anointing of appointment to be king after God rejected Saul. Secondly, the Tribe of Judah anointed David to be king; this was an anointing of his peers. The third anointing came from the elders of Israel who held the authority of Israel. They had the authority to finish what God had started many years earlier. 

David constantly found himself in valleys throughout his life where he felt small, insignificant and unworthy. When the Philistines showed up for another fight against David in the valley, he renamed the valley from the Valley of Giants to the Valley where God Mastered my Breakthrough. It's not on the mountaintops but in the valleys where we learn about leadership and about God's acceptance of us when we are in the valley of rejection. 

Life is not lived just on the mountaintops, and our God is not just a God who is worthy of our praise on the mountaintops. We often celebrate our faith on the mountaintops, but we need faith the most in the valleys. God is always with us in the valleys, and if we will trust him; he will be the Lord who masters our breakthrough in the valley. 

Our world is in a valley. We have fought the pandemic to the best of our ability, against an enemy that we could not see. But, God has been with us the whole time. He has never forsaken us. When we dig deep, we will find the strength to take another step. We will find strength, which is the joy of the Lord. We don't have to stay in the valley, in a place of lack or despair. We are going to get the victory. It's in the valley where God produces the breakthrough, where he gives us the victory and leads us out. 

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

1. What valley comes to mind when you think about this message?

2. What has been the most challenging thing for you in the valley of this past year? How has God shown up for you in this valley?

3. What kind of thoughts and words have you had in your most recent valley? How can you redirect any negative thoughts or words that you have allowed to align them with God’s thoughts and words for you instead? 

4. Where do you find strength in the valley? How can you draw more strength from the Lord this week?