The God Of The Valleys

“THE GOD OF THE VALLEYS”

1 Kgs. 20:23,28

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: HOW MANY CHICKENS

1. Boudreaux spots Thibodeaux walking down the levee the other day, carrying a sack over his shoulder.

2. Well of course, curiosity got the best of Boudreaux, and he asked Thibodeaux, "Hey, Mon Homme,(my man), what you got in dat sack ?" Thibodeaux says, "Well, I got me some chickens in dat sack."

3. Boudreaux says, "If I can guess how many chickens you got in dat sack, can I have one of dem?"

4. Thibodeaux replied, "Well, my fren, if you can guess how many I got, you can have both of dem!"

B. TEXTS

23 Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel [Ahab], and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” 1 Kgs. 20:23, 28 NKJV

C. THESIS

1. The devil loves to boast and to brag, especially if he can win a triumph over God or God’s people.

2. God however, is jealous for His Name and reputation. Therefore allowing the devil to win and to boast totally rubs God the wrong way.

3. So God is invested in overthrowing the schemes of the wicked and vindicating the righteous.

4. In our passage today we see to what lengths God will go to short-circuit the enemy from a victory.

5. This is an encouragement to us that if we call on God and solicit His help when the devil assaults us, God WILL NOT let our enemy triumph over us!

6. The term “valley” literally means “an elongated depression in the earth’s surface”, but the term long ago came to represent a low spot in a person’s life.

7. We’re going to take a look at Valleys and see that God is also the God of our valleys, as well as the mountains. The title of this message is, “The God of the Valleys.”

I. COMMON TRAITS OF VALLEYS

A. VALLEYS ARE UNAVOIDABLE

They’re going to happen in life – you can count on it. You may be coming out of one right now or you may be in the middle of one right now or you’re heading into one right now.

B. VALLEYS ARE UNPREDICTABLE

1. You CAN’T PLAN them or TIME them. They’re unscheduled. They usually come at the worst time – when you don’t have time and are unprepared.

2. Have you ever had a flat tire at a good time? Usually it happens when we have to be somewhere and are running late.

C. VALLEYS ARE IMPARTIAL

1. No one is immune. No one escapes the problems of life. Everyone has problems – good people and bad people. Problems don’t care how good or bad you are.

2. One of the first reactions most of us have is to ask, “Why me?”

3. Jesus said, “[God] causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Mt. 5:45.

D. VALLEYS ARE TEMPORARY

1. They don’t last forever. Dark valleys aren’t like a cave, but like a dark tunnel; there’s light at the other end.

2. “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ…will have

you put together and on your feet…” 1 Pet. 5:8-11.

E. VALLEYS HAVE A PURPOSE

1. God has a reason for taking you through dark valleys. Whether you have a valley full of doubt, despair, discouragement, or defeat – God has a reason behind it.

2. “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Pet. 1:6-7.

3. This verse tells me TWO THINGS;

a. Every problem has a purpose. Trials come to help shape you, just like fire heats metal so it can be shaped and made useful.