The Bible contains the record of a long series of divine actions and revelations down through history. We might expect then, that walking with God will therefore involve an unbroken series of great miracles and revelations. What we should also notice, however, when reading the biblical stories, is the amount of time that transpired between the great acts and revelations of God. Sometimes this was due to the waywardness of God’s people, but other times it was simply due to God’s timing. Often people sought God in difficult circumstances for a long time without resolution as reflected in Psalm 13. The overall pattern of biblical events suggests, therefore, that the Christian life is not one of constant ‘mountain-top’ experiences. Rather, it is largely a long desert crossing punctuated by important moments of divine encounter. In these mountain-top experiences we get to see the view. We see the way ahead and, as we move ahead, we are motivated by the views we have seen from the mountains. The way to the next mountain often goes across another desert, sometimes with deep canyons. The key is to keep moving ahead. What I am trying to say in this metaphor is that the Christian life is primarily a matter of praying and serving whether you feel like it or not. You won’t always feel inspired and it won’t always be sensational. There will be moments of inspiration and remarkable events, but in between you just need to keep going no matter what. Know, however, that God is with you in the desert as on the mountain and is always at work whether you see it or not.
Pray this prayer over a circumstance that you have wanted to see change for a long time.
Read Psalm 13
