1 Kings 20:23: “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, then surely we will be stronger than they.'”

July 23rd, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This is an interesting insight into the worldview of that day. The year before, the king of Syria, Ben-Hadad, had brought 32 kings together against God’s people, but God Almighty had given His people a great victory over them. Now Ben-Hadad was back and his advisors convinced him that Israel had won the previous battle because it was fought on a mountainside. They believed different gods had power over different locations, and that their gods were the gods of the valley. They believed if they could get Israel into a battle in the valley, they would be victorious. Israel was so out numbered, they looked like 2 small herds of sheep, while Ben-Hadad’s armies covered the whole valley. Fear gripped the hearts of the army of Israel and despair filled their minds. But God gave them the victory again and corrected their enemy’s theology by removing the idea that His presence was limited to a location.

God desires to reveal Himself to all the world through His people. He blesses our lives with peace, not because we deserve it, but because He wants the world to see what it means to walk with Him. Just as God again gave Israel victory to show the Syrians that He was God over all the earth, so He will do for us today. Are you in a valley? God is the God of the valley of difficulties as well as the God of the mountaintop. Regardless of our circumstance or situation, He is still God and will meet us wherever we find our walk with Him taking us.

“LORD, please be God of our lives in all areas today, we ask in Jesus’ name.”