God of Hills and Valleys: Trusting His Sovereignty

 

Summary

In reflecting on the narrative from 1 Kings 20:28, we are reminded of the profound truth that God is not limited by geography, circumstance, or human perception. The Syrians mistakenly believed that the God of Israel was only a god of the hills and not of the valleys. This misconception led to their downfall, as God demonstrated His sovereignty over all creation, both high and low. This serves as a powerful reminder that God is not confined to our limited understanding or expectations. He is the God of both the hills and the valleys, the God of triumph and trial, the God of the extraordinary and the mundane.

We often fall into the same error as the Syrians by limiting God in our own lives. We may trust Him in certain areas but doubt His power in others. We might believe He can handle the "big" issues but hesitate to bring our "small" concerns to Him. Yet, God invites us to trust Him fully, in every aspect of our lives. He is as present in our moments of despair as He is in our times of joy. He is as capable of working through our weaknesses as He is through our strengths.

Moreover, we must guard against the temptation to create a god in our own image, one who fits our preferences and prejudices. Instead, we are called to know God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, embracing His fullness and mystery. Our faith should not be swayed by the changing tides of culture or personal experience but anchored in the unchanging nature of God.

In our service to God, we should not limit His power by our own perceived inadequacies or the challenges we face. Whether we are in a position of influence or in a humble role, God can use us for His purposes. Our worthiness is not the measure of His ability to work through us; rather, it is His grace and power that accomplish His will.

Finally, for those who have not yet placed their trust in Christ, the call is clear: God is just and will judge all, regardless of their perceived righteousness. Salvation is available to all who believe, whether they are on the "hills" of moral living or in the "valleys" of sin. The invitation is to trust in Jesus and experience the fullness of life He offers.

Key Takeaways:

- God's Sovereignty Over All: God is not limited by our circumstances or perceptions. He is the God of both the hills and the valleys, present in our triumphs and trials, and capable of working through both our strengths and weaknesses. [02:26]

- Avoiding Idolatry of the Mind: We must resist the temptation to create a god in our own image, shaped by our preferences and prejudices. Instead, we should seek to know God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, embracing His fullness and mystery. [03:46]

- Trusting God in All Aspects: We often limit God by trusting Him in certain areas of our lives but doubting His power in others. God invites us to trust Him fully, in every aspect of our lives, whether in moments of despair or joy. [19:29]

- God's Power in Our Service: Our perceived inadequacies or the challenges we face should not limit God's power in our service to Him. Whether in a position of influence or a humble role, God can use us for His purposes. [41:36]

- The Call to Salvation: Salvation is available to all who believe, regardless of their perceived righteousness. God is just and will judge all, but He offers grace and life to those who trust in Jesus. [48:49]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - God of the Hills and Valleys
- [01:00] - Acknowledging God's Victory
- [02:26] - The Danger of Pride
- [03:46] - Avoiding Idolatry of the Mind
- [05:07] - God's Jealousy for His Glory
- [07:30] - Limiting God in Our Lives
- [09:13] - Trusting God in Trials
- [11:34] - God's Power in Prosperity
- [13:27] - Overcoming Doubt and Fear
- [15:29] - God's Use of the Humble
- [17:57] - The Unchanging Spirit of God
- [19:29] - Trusting God in All Aspects
- [35:08] - The Power of the Gospel
- [41:36] - God's Power in Our Service
- [48:49] - The Call to Salvation

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- 1 Kings 20:28

#### Observation Questions
1. What misconception did the Syrians have about the God of Israel, and how did it lead to their downfall? [00:10]
2. How did the Syrians' view of God differ from the Israelites' understanding of His sovereignty? [02:57]
3. What was the significance of God delivering Israel despite their king Ahab's detestable character? [05:36]
4. How does the sermon describe the tendency of humans to create a god in their own image? [03:30]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does the sermon suggest about the dangers of limiting God to certain areas of our lives, and how does this relate to the Syrians' error? [07:30]
2. How does the sermon interpret the idea of God being the "God of the hills and not the God of the valleys" in the context of personal trials and triumphs? [19:29]
3. In what ways does the sermon challenge the listener to reconsider their understanding of God's power and presence in both extraordinary and mundane aspects of life? [24:59]
4. How does the sermon address the issue of idolatry of the mind, and what are the implications for modern believers? [03:46]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you limited God's power to certain areas of your life. How can you begin to trust Him fully in both your strengths and weaknesses? [19:29]
2. Consider the ways you might have created a god in your own image. How can you seek to know God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture? [03:46]
3. Identify an area of your life where you feel inadequate to serve God. How can you rely on His grace and power to accomplish His will through you? [41:36]
4. Think about a "small" concern you have hesitated to bring to God. How can you practice bringing all aspects of your life to Him in prayer? [24:59]
5. How can you guard against the influence of cultural and personal biases in your understanding of God? What steps can you take to anchor your faith in His unchanging nature? [14:53]
6. If you have not yet placed your trust in Christ, what steps can you take to explore the invitation to experience the fullness of life He offers? [48:49]
7. How can you encourage others in your community to see God as sovereign over all circumstances, both in times of triumph and trial? [02:26]

Devotional

Day 1: God's Boundless Sovereignty
God's sovereignty transcends all human limitations and perceptions. The Syrians in 1 Kings 20:28 believed that the God of Israel was only a god of the hills, not of the valleys. This misconception led to their defeat, as God demonstrated His power over all creation, both high and low. This story reminds us that God is not confined to our limited understanding or expectations. He is present in both our triumphs and trials, capable of working through our strengths and weaknesses. We are encouraged to trust in His boundless sovereignty, knowing that He is with us in every circumstance. [02:26]

"For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers." (Psalm 24:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life have you limited God's power due to your own perceptions or circumstances? How can you begin to trust His sovereignty more fully today?


Day 2: Embracing God's True Nature
We must resist the temptation to create a god in our own image, shaped by our preferences and prejudices. Instead, we are called to know God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, embracing His fullness and mystery. Our faith should not be swayed by the changing tides of culture or personal experience but anchored in the unchanging nature of God. This requires a commitment to seeking Him as He truly is, rather than as we might wish Him to be. By doing so, we can experience a deeper, more authentic relationship with Him. [03:46]

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: Are there aspects of God's character that you struggle to accept or understand? How can you seek to know Him more fully as He has revealed Himself in Scripture?


Day 3: Trusting God Completely
We often limit God by trusting Him in certain areas of our lives but doubting His power in others. God invites us to trust Him fully, in every aspect of our lives, whether in moments of despair or joy. He is as present in our weaknesses as He is in our strengths, and He desires to be involved in every detail of our lives. By surrendering all areas to Him, we can experience His peace and guidance in ways we never thought possible. [19:29]

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from trusting God completely? What steps can you take today to surrender this area to Him?


Day 4: God's Power in Our Service
Our perceived inadequacies or the challenges we face should not limit God's power in our service to Him. Whether we are in a position of influence or in a humble role, God can use us for His purposes. Our worthiness is not the measure of His ability to work through us; rather, it is His grace and power that accomplish His will. We are encouraged to offer ourselves to Him, trusting that He can use us in ways beyond our imagination. [41:36]

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV)

Reflection: How have you allowed feelings of inadequacy to limit your service to God? What is one way you can step out in faith and allow Him to work through you today?


Day 5: The Invitation to Salvation
Salvation is available to all who believe, regardless of their perceived righteousness. God is just and will judge all, but He offers grace and life to those who trust in Jesus. Whether we are on the "hills" of moral living or in the "valleys" of sin, the invitation is to trust in Jesus and experience the fullness of life He offers. This is a call to embrace the gift of salvation and to live in the freedom and hope that comes from knowing Christ. [48:49]

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: Have you fully embraced the gift of salvation in your life? If not, what is holding you back from trusting in Jesus and experiencing the fullness of life He offers?

Quotes

"Brothers and sisters let not these Heathen shame us they knew to whom the crown of the victory belonged and little as they understood Jehovah yet they recognized that his right hand and His holy arm had gotten for his people the victory now if the Lord has prospered you if in your souls peace and joy are reigning or if you have enjoyed success in Christian service take he that you do not lift up your horn on high, and take honor to yourselves render all the glory to God to whom it is most justly due." [00:58:46]

"Let us abore this dishonoring of God and avoid the sin by never daring to make unto ourselves a God after our own ideas the art of God making is very common among men instead of going to Revelation to see what God is and humbly believing in him as he reveals himself men sit down and consider what sort of God he ought to be and in so doing they are no wiser than the man who makes a god of mud or wood or stone." [03:29:00]

"Believe what he reveals but do not after the fashion of the syrians begin to conceive of him according to the darkness of your own feeble and foolish mind Ben hadad's counselors were LED in their error to utter a blasphemy they said he is the god of the hills but not the god of the valley is and I know not into what profanities our own proud thoughts may lead us also it is worthy of notice that because of this blasphemy of the syrians God was pleased to deliver his people Israel." [04:41:20]

"The Temptation is at times heavy upon us to think that the gospel cannot conquer the world that the truth of Jesus cannot spread in the midst of thick darkness which surrounds us that the good old C is falling into a desperate condition and that perhaps the victory we have looked for will not come after all here let us convict ourselves of having thought God to be the god of the hills and not the god of The Valleys." [08:46:40]

"Do you really think my brothers and sisters that God cannot preserve his church in the particular trial through which she is now passing is he the god of the hills of persecution but not the god of The Valleys of prosperity chase away the thought besides you are in great fear my brother because a new heresy has sprung up or an old one has revived Dreadful Doctrine dismays you you are saddened by teaching which assails the Vitality of Christianity." [11:32:24]

"The Lord was the god of the hills and put these heresis down and trod them under foot as straw is trod for the dung Hill and let new heresies come let men assale the gospel with fresh errors God is the god of the valleys as well as God of the hills and he will defeat them one by one as they arise ritualism spiritualism and materialism will go the way of all the other adversaries of the Lord into smoke shall they consume away." [12:50:48]

"The God Who used those men whom we call great first made them great they were nothing of themselves and he is just as able to use the men whom we call little and to make them so efficient that the next generation will think them as great as those who went before the so-called greatness or littleness of men must after all depend on the power of God which is shown in them." [16:19:36]

"Has the Holy Spirit cease to illuminate Quicken and strengthen the minds of men is the spirit of the Lord straightened do the heavens no longer drop with Dee is the Horn of anointing oil emptied is there no sacred breath with which to Fan the gracious flame in the church no my brothers and sisters the spirit of God has not ceased to work if we cannot manifest the enthusiasm of the church's youth we will cultivate the undying perseverance of the church's manhood and strive and struggle on God helping us till the the Lord appears." [17:54:48]

"Sometimes we are brought into sore trouble and then we imagine that the Lord will not help us as he helped the old Saints of whom we read in the Bible we can believe all about Abraham and Moses and David but we question whether the Lord will help us we look at those men as the Great Hills and we regard ourselves as the valleys and we dare not hope that the Lord will deal with us as he did with his servants in the days of Y." [19:25:36]

"Has the Lord changed because you are older and feebler is he weaker does he only help us when we can help ourselves and leave us in our extremity God forbid he said I am God I change not even to gray hairs I am he I have made and I will bear even I will carry yet so it is we readily imagine that the difference of time Alters the hope of divine Deliverance oh fools and slow of heart thus to mistrust immutable love love and infallible wisdom." [22:05:12]

"Christian people I shall now speak to you and remind you that too frequently when you are about to tell of Jesus and his love you feel a desire to select your hearers in your heart you dream that certain persons are more conquerable by the power of God than others it is of no use trying after the conversion of soand so you say you put certain characters down on The Blacklist and regard them as hopeless while for others you feel more hopeful and work among them with more Spirit." [40:07:00]

"When we are urged to labor for the Lord we are tempted to excuse ourselves upon various grounds we speak as if we could not reckon upon Divine assistance often The Plea is that gifts and talents are scanty with us this may be quite true but it does not prevent our being used of the Lord for his gracious purposes God is the god of the many gifted and gracious man but he is also the god of the one talented man man who seeks to glorify him we are accepted according to what we have not according to what we have not." [41:36:00]

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Transcript
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