From Mountaintops to the Valley: Learning to Wait

Devotional

Day 1: The Call to Wait Upon the Lord

God often calls His people into seasons of waiting, not as punishment, but as preparation. These periods are not empty or wasted; they are purpose-filled moments designed by a loving Father. In the stillness, we are invited to simply be present before Him, to quiet our hearts and our striving. This holy waiting is an act of trust, a declaration that His timing is perfect. It is in these spaces that God prepares us for what He has prepared for us. [30:46]

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” (Exodus 24:12 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific situation in your life right now where you feel God is asking you to wait? How might you shift your perspective to see this not as a delay, but as a purposeful time of preparation with Him?

Day 2: Waiting as an Act of Trust and Surrender

To wait upon the Lord is to actively exercise the virtues of faith, patience, and hope. It is a spiritual discipline that strengthens our character and deepens our reliance on God. This kind of waiting requires surrendering our own timelines and desires, choosing to believe in His goodness even when we cannot see the outcome. It is in this surrender that we find our strength renewed and our perspective lifted heavenward. [41:36]

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)

Reflection: Where are you currently tempted to take control instead of surrendering to God's timing? What would it look like to actively trust Him with that area today?

Day 3: The Fruitfulness Found in Seasons of Waiting

God uses our waiting seasons to do a deep work within us, often revealing things we might otherwise miss. When we are still, we become more attentive to the needs of others and more aware of God's subtle movements. These periods can cultivate compassion, self-control, and a watchful spirit. The waiting itself becomes fertile ground for spiritual growth and ministry, shaping us to be more effective vessels of His grace. [46:33]

I have waited for your salvation, O Lord. (Genesis 49:18 ESV)

Reflection: As you look back on a past season of waiting, what fruit did God produce in your life during that time? How does that memory encourage you in your current circumstances?

Day 4: From the Mountaintop Back to the Mission

Glimpses of God's glory, like mountaintop experiences, are gifts to strengthen and encourage us. Yet, we are not called to live permanently on the mountain. We are sent back into the ordinary, daily places to love and serve. The vision of glory equips us for the mission in the valley, empowering us to face struggles and minister to others with the hope we have received. Our faith is meant to be lived out in the midst of everyday life. [36:06]

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” (Matthew 17:9 ESV)

Reflection: How has a recent encounter with God's presence equipped or challenged you to engage more faithfully in your daily relationships and responsibilities?

Day 5: Pressing On With Heavenly Vision

The Christian life is a race run with endurance, fueled by the hope of our glorious future in Christ. We fix our eyes on the ultimate prize—the upward call of God and the promise of being conformed to His likeness. This eternal perspective enables us to let go of what lies behind and strain forward toward what is ahead. Our present struggles and waits are framed by the magnificent glory that awaits us. [38:04]

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14 ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical way you can “strain forward” this week, aligning your daily choices with the glorious future God has promised?

Sermon Summary

The text develops a clear, pastoral argument that waiting functions as a central spiritual discipline. Drawing connections between Exodus, the Transfiguration, and New Testament teaching, it presents waiting not as idle time but as purposeful preparation: Moses waits on Mount Sinai to receive God’s law; Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a mountain to reveal his glory and then brings them down again into ordinary ministry. Fasting and the Lenten season receive treatment as forms of sacred waiting, where abstaining from immediate desires trains the soul to expect God’s timing. The argument frames mountaintop encounters as glimpses rather than permanent residences, designed to strengthen endurance for the work of daily life and service.

Scripture and practical psychology reinforce the point. Paul’s image of the Christian life as a race supplies the language of discipline, training, and forward hope; the upward call provides motivation amid suffering. Empirical research on delayed gratification (the marshmallow study) supplies a secular echo: learning to wait cultivates self-control that bears fruit across a lifetime. Waiting, then, shapes character—patience, endurance, and hope—and prepares people to notice the needs and opportunities around them.

The narrative stresses active reception: waiting becomes prayerful attentiveness rather than resentful stalling. Those who accept waiting as a time of watchfulness learn to discern God’s preparation for forthcoming ministry and to notice others’ burdens. Personal testimony about a long season of singleness illustrates how extended waiting can serve as a crucible for becoming fit for future covenant life. The text urges turning the discomfort of delay into a disciplined, expectant posture that cooperates with God’s sanctifying work.

Liturgical elements bracket this teaching: corporate prayers, intercessions, the Nicene Creed, and Eucharist frame waiting within the life of worship. The final charge invites intentional receiving of waiting seasons with prayerful hope, so that when grace and glory come, readiness and humility accompany the gift. Waiting thus appears as a daily spiritual task that both anticipates ultimate restoration and equips the faithful for present ministry.

Key Takeaways

1. Waiting is a holy discipline Waiting trains the soul to surrender immediate desires and to trust God’s timetable. By embracing seasons of delay as intentional practices—often expressed through fasting—believers open themselves to transformation rather than merely endure discomfort. This discipline refines motives, exposes selfish attachments, and deepens dependence on God’s providence. [29:11]
2. Mountaintop encounters won't be permanent Mountain revelations function as temporary revelations that equip for ordinary work, not as final destinations. The Transfiguration and Moses’ Sinai experience display glory as preparation for returning to daily service and spiritual struggle. Glory strengthens resolve but always redirects toward ministry among the suffering and needy. [34:03]
3. Waiting grows endurance and hope Patience operates like training for a race: it builds stamina, sharpens resolve, and sustains forward-looking hope. Paul’s metaphor of pressing toward the upward call links suffering and perseverance to an eschatological prize that reorients present struggles. Hope activated in waiting prevents despair and fosters steady pursuit of holiness. [37:41]
4. Waiting trains attention and service Seasons of waiting develop watchfulness and the ability to notice others’ burdens and missed opportunities for ministry. Reduced distraction and practiced patience reveal hidden needs and sharpen discernment for timely action. Receiving waiting as preparation equips for compassionate ministry rather than fostering self-centered impatience. [45:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[10:46] - Opening Prayers & Intercessions
[17:11] - Children’s Blessing
[27:10] - Intro: Waiting and Lent
[29:49] - Moses on Mount Sinai
[34:03] - Transfiguration & Mountaintops
[37:41] - Running the Race (Philippians)
[40:40] - Purpose in Waiting
[43:12] - Self-Control Study (Marshmallows)
[44:42] - Waiting as Watchfulness
[47:09] - Personal Testimony on Waiting
[51:23] - Call to Receive Waiting
[66:02] - Communion and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

Bible Reading
Exodus 24:12, 16-18 (ESV)
The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”… The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Matthew 17:1-2, 9 (ESV)
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light… And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Observation questions

In the Exodus passage, what specific instruction did God give to Moses before giving him the law, and how long did Moses wait before God called to him?
What happened to Jesus on the mountain in the Matthew passage, and what was Peter’s immediate reaction and desire?
What does Paul compare the Christian life to in Philippians, and what two actions does he say he is taking in verses 13-14?
According to the sermon, what is fasting, such as during Lent, a form of? [29:11]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think God instructed Moses to wait for six days on the mountain before speaking to him from the cloud? What might have been the purpose of that period of waiting?
Jesus led his disciples down the mountain immediately after the Transfiguration. Why wouldn’t he let them stay in that moment of glorious encounter? What does this suggest about the purpose of "mountaintop" spiritual experiences?
The "marshmallow test" was used as a modern example. What connection does this research on delayed gratification have with the biblical concept of waiting as a spiritual discipline? [43:12]
How can a season of waiting, rather than being wasted time, actually become a time of preparation and watchfulness for what God wants to do next? [45:57]

Application questions

What is something you are currently waiting for in your life (e.g., a relationship, healing, a job, an answer to prayer)? How can you shift from seeing this as idle, frustrating time to a purposeful season of "holy waiting" and active trust in God’s timing?
Mountaintop encounters are for strengthening us for life in the valley. [34:03] Describe a past spiritual "high" or mountaintop experience. How did God use that encounter to prepare and strengthen you for the ordinary, or even difficult, ministry that followed?
Waiting trains us to notice the burdens of others. [50:43] In our distraction-filled world, what is one practical way you can create space for "watchfulness" this week to better see and serve the people God has placed around you?
Self-control is a muscle that grows with exercise. [42:17] Is there a specific, small desire or impulse (e.g., for food, entertainment, comfort) you feel God might be inviting you to prayerfully delay this week as a way to exercise your trust in Him?
Extended waiting can serve as a crucible to become fit for what God has next. [48:11] Looking back, how has a long season of waiting in your past actually shaped your character and prepared you for what you are doing now?
We can choose how we wait—with resentful stalling or prayerful anticipation. [41:09] The next time you find yourself in an unexpected wait (in a line, in traffic, for a response), what is one simple prayer you can pray to turn that moment into an opportunity for attentiveness to God?

Sermon Clips

we read here in Exodus 24 verse 12, the Lord said to Moses, come up to me on the mountain and wait there. Some translations say stay. One translation says just be there. Just be there. Just wait. That I may give you the tablets of stone with the law and the commandment which I have written. Come up here and wait. Just be. Just stay a while. [00:30:31] (27 seconds) #BeStillAndWait

In his transfiguration on the mountain, Christ gave his disciples a glimpse of his own heavenly glory. The glory that he has by nature from all eternity, but it's also the glory that he shares with his people. As we abide in him, as we remain united to him by faith, this is the glory that he shares with us through his own spirit, his own life being poured into us as a gift, as grace. He shares this new life with us. And and in the transfiguration, we see what we will become, what all creation will become when Jesus comes to make all things new. [00:38:23] (35 seconds) #SharedGlory

For those of us who don't like to wait, waiting like fasting is is an opportunity to die to self. To let go of having what I want and what feels good right now all the time and and to surrender that and to mortify my desires that are self seeking and and to to let go and to say, God, here I am. What do you want? It's not always about what I want at every moment. What do you want? And to to receive those times of waiting can actually be an important thing for us. [00:39:27] (39 seconds) #FastToSurrender

Very often in life we have to wait, we have no choice about it, but we can choose how we wait. We can choose on the one hand to be like, oh man, this is a bummer and I hate waiting and when is this gonna be over with? Goodness. Or we can choose to say, I'm waiting and I'm giving this time of waiting to God, and I want this to be a prayer full time, a time of anticipation for what God might be wanting to do next. That's a very different way to wait. [00:41:02] (35 seconds) #PrayWhileWaiting

In the bible, you see this all over the place. In the Psalms, you see it in the prophets. The the phrase to wait upon the lord is just about synonymous with like believing in god, trusting god. We call that waiting on the lord. Waiting is how we express our trust, our faith, our belief in him and his goodness. [00:41:36] (20 seconds) #WaitOnTheLord

I've been blessed with and I imagine many of you have experiences where God showed up and it was glorious and it was awesome and it was like, woah. And many times God gives people these kinds of experiences in life and we call them mountaintop experiences, but that's not where we live as Christians all the time. We don't get to stay in the mountain permanently, at least not yet. We're called to come back down into the regular work of our daily life, [00:36:21] (33 seconds) #BackToTheValley

Why did Moses have to wait? It's not like God, you know, wasn't ready yet or or he couldn't get there before that or something, you know, like he was on a trip or something. I mean, what it's not for God, it's for them that they have to wait. It's for our sake that God calls us to wait sometimes. [00:40:40] (21 seconds) #WaitingForOurGood

Times of waiting can be for us times of paying attention. The bible word for that is watchfulness. They can be watchful times. When we're getting ready for what God's gonna do next, maybe getting ready to experience one of those encounters, one of those glimpses of glory that God has prepared for us, but we need to be prepared to receive it. [00:45:38] (22 seconds) #WatchfulWaiting

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