Highlands and Heartache; Confidence in the LORD
I will praise You on the mountain And I will praise You when the mountain is in my way You're the summit where my feet are So I will praise You in the valleys all the same No less God within the shadows No less faithful when the night leads me astray 'Cause You're the heaven where my heart is In the highlands and the heartache all the same Highlands (Song of Ascent) - Hillsong
I will praise You on the mountain, and I will praise You when the mountain is in my way.
Whether it be in actuality or spiritually, in altitude or in life, at the summit there is something instinctive that draws us to behold, to breathe in, to look back from where we’ve come and take in the landscape that surrounds us. I have yet to stand at the peak of a climb and forget to take in the landscape. I have yet to stand at the peak of a climb and not be overcome with a sense of awe, and reverence for the Creator. Perhaps this isn’t the same for those who are not familiar with the Creator, but my guess is, it is. For there are many non-Creator recognizers who take the climb, and certainly it is not just for the strenuousness of it. We are fashioned to praise Him on the mountain top, to stop and take notice, but what if it’s the mountain that stands in our way?
If we are intrinsically designed to praise Him on the mountain’s peak, what are we to do when we find ourselves in a valley? Which we will. Most of our life is spent in a valley, and often a pleasant enough place. But sometimes not quite. Sometimes the landscape is riddled with shadows, darkness and ominous figures. Weapons like guilt, shame, fear, self-pity, crafted meticulously to target our exact personal area of vulnerability are abuzz, and the valley is not only dark, but also threatening. What about then, will you praise Him then?
What if it’s both? What if there are mountain top aspects of your life, and your heart is overcome with gratitude, and simultaneously your heart is wading in a pool of grief? How do you navigate the alternating current of joy for the goodness, and ache for the sadness?
Currently, this is where I find myself. Exuberantly joyful while simultaneously tending to sadness. It’s a bit of a manic ride, I will just write that for transparency’s sake. I will also write it because I dare to say that forever joy and ease on this side of the earthly mountain is a lie, and one that I have previously purchased. I don’t want you to be disillusioned by the same.
Jesus went to the garden for the joy set before Him, and He wept, profusely. Life unfolds to both landscapes, mountains and valleys, sometimes at the same time.
You’re the summit where my feet are, so I will praise in the valleys all the same.
Why and how do we praise Him in the valleys? Well, the why is simpler, so let’s begin there.
No less God within the shadows, no less faithful when the night leads me astray.
That’s it. He is no less God within the shadows than He is at the summit. It doesn’t have to feel like it for it to be true.
- You can feel like He has gone missing, but He has not.
- You can feel like He isn’t listening, but He is.
- You can feel like He doesn’t care, but He does.
- You can feel like He has forgotten, but He remembers.
You can feel, you can feel, you can feel, but your feelings have zero impact on who He is. You can even tell Him how you feel. Still, no impact on who He is. No less God within the shadows. So we praise Him in the valleys, in the midst of our own battles, legitimate or not, self-inflicted or not. We praise Him because He is still God.
We praise Him in the valleys because praise is a formidable weapon in spiritual warfare (2 Chronicles 20). There is nothing like showing your enemy the power of a grain of faith than choosing to vocalize your confidence in God when Satan has what he thinks, is you pinned to the mat. We praise Him to flex our spiritual muscles.
We praise Him in the valleys to give testimony of His faithfulness. When we walk through our difficult seasons held by grace and moved forward by gratitude, we encourage others around us. We praise Him to share Him.
How do we praise Him in the valley?
I have a friend who often says, “we must pull up our stockings”, in reference to setting out to work on the difficult things. Sometimes we praise Him in the valley by pulling up our stockings and getting on with it. David knew this. David’s life was characterized by flying arrows (and spears), enemies lurking, scheming, real life dangers. Imagine for a second the spiritual enemies that were prowling, waiting patiently for David to shed his armor. David was the king whose lineage had been committed to bring forth The King. His throne had been identified as the forever throne. Do you think Satan slept silently through the nights David spent huddled in the darkness of a cave? Talk about battle worn. In the midst of this, David pulls up his stockings and pens a multitude of praises for the valley. He often begins his Psalm with a lament, a listing of his fears, complaints and burdens, and then he finishes with reminders of who God is, and who He was to David. David makes it personal. Praise Him like David did, leave your dire circumstances at the feet of Jesus and then practice remembering who God is.
We praise Him like Paul, looking forward to the finish line. We persevere in the valley, pushing towards the prize, knowing the God who set us in place has a divine purpose for our valley.
Sometimes we praise Him like Jesus did in the garden, with more tears than words. Jesus did something in the garden for us, He wept and declared, “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36 ESV). Jesus showed us that it is ok to feel deeply, to know angst, to know despair. Sometimes praise looks like broken surrender, sometimes that is all we have.
‘Cause You’re the heaven where my heart is, in the highlands and the heartache all the same.
In the highlands and the heartache all the same, He’s the same. When the highlands and the heartache collide, He’s the same. When one foot is on the summit, and one is in the mud, the best foot forward begins with praise to the God who is faithful to walk you through.
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10
