Sometimes the despair of the valley keeps us from reaching the summit. Despair can cause us to forget the wonderful view of the summit that we are trying to reach that we saw from the last hilltop. Think of the wonderful view you had from the hilltop of baptism of the summit of heaven and from each hilltop from that point on in your life. It is the view from the hilltops, we keep them in our mind, that helps us walk through the valleys that we must walk through to reach the next hilltop. The valleys of life are important because we learn valuable lessons and gain the strength that we need to help as we climb toward the summit of heaven.

Valleys come in everyone's life, We often refer to them as "troubles." We need to remember that God has plainly told us in the Bible that we will have troubles in this life, but it is how we face them and how we get through them which will either cause us to grow spiritually or to grow in despair. How should we face troubles? A great answer is found in Psalm 86:7, "In the day of my trouble · will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me." Jesus pointed out in John 16:33, how we should handle the troubles we face, "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" The apostle Paul admonished us to be patient while going through the valleys of life in Romans 12:12, 'Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;" Troubles come, of that we can be assured, of such as sure as valleys in the Ozarks, but for the Christian they are a way of training, maturing us.

Troubles have a way of testing us as nothing else can. It is one thing to talk a good fight, but another to climb into the ring and fight. It is in times of testing that we grow and learn that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are with us, willing to come to our aid in our time of need. Job understood this even after losing his wealth, children and health for we read in Job 13:15, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:..." We are promised that the testing or temptations that we face have a limit, "There hath  no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13). What are the results of remaining faithful during the valleys of our lives, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).

Sometimes when we are in the valleys of life tears come. Tears are not a sign of weakness, but are often an expression of great sorrow, grief, loss, disappointment and pain. Even Jesus our Lord shed tears when He was on this earth because of the loss of a friend, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). As we walk through the valleys of life often we shed tears, and we look forward to the day when God will wipe away all tears. It is only by going down through the valleys that we can come at last to tim? great summit of heaven and receive the goal of eternal life with God. At times we need to climb to the hill top and-- take a good long look at the summit for which we are striving and the last chapters of the book of Revelation gives us that greatest look at that summit. What a wonderful gift God has given to us in His word so that even when we are in the valley of the shadow of death, we can look beyond to the summit of heaven.

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