“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills.” (Psalms 104:10) The mountains are probably my favorite place to visit. Susanne and I spent our honeymoon in the Smokey Mountains many years ago. Every time we visit the mountains, it seems I always hear the Lord’s voice speaking so loudly through creation and the beauty of the terrain.
But there is something that is always rushing away from the mountains to reach the low places of the valley—the streams! The small creeks gush forth from the mountain peaks, scurrying downward as fast as they can as if they had a sudden appointment with the valley. The waters will not be stopped. They rush over rocks that have been smoothed by their constant torrent over the years, and they will only slow down for one thing—the low land.
Truth is like a mountain stream. It rushes past the high and mighty and looks for the low land. It searches furiously for those who humble themselves before the Lord and are searching for it. When the Lord finds us “humble and lowly,” He always sends His truth to fill our hearts and minds.
This is also true in the life of Jesus. He bypassed the religiously arrogant, the high-minded self-righteous, and the proud Pharisees in order to reach the downtrodden and the rejected. He walked among the needy and became the friend of sinners. It wasn’t the temple keepers and priests that recognized Jesus’ ministry. It was some lowly fishermen.
In a world full of self-centered egos seeking to reach the top, Jesus is still looking for the lowly. That is, those who see their need, acknowledge it, and who reach out in faith for God’s answers. The Lord still “resists the proud.” And He always “gives grace to the humble.” (1Pet. 5:5)
Jesus isn’t looking for us to ‘measure up.’ He is looking for us to humble down! The Lord measured up for us when He walked this earth and died on the Cross. We are accepted by the Father based solely on the merit and work of Christ. When we surrender to Him through faith and repentance, we are given His righteousness.
I heard an old pastor friend say one time, “There aren’t any tough folks. Nowhere!” He was right. We may have our strength and fleshly boldness when we are young and we feel our oats, but every single one of us is making a beeline to the grave. Our bodies are dying, our strength is fading, and our steps are slowing down. Father Time will always win.
However, now and for eternity, we can have the Lord’s strength and life. We can walk with Christ and experience freedom from the religious airs that we see so prevalent today. The secret to a joyful and Spirit-filled life is to be like those mountain streams. Let us be quick to rush past the high and proud goals set before us by society. Instead, let us run to our Divine appointment with God’s resting place. Let us… seek the Lowland!
