As Christians, we experience three stages in life, and not all of them equally. Two of them, we make some preparation for, but the other, more often than not, we tend to ignore as though it was a time to rest or a time of transition, and yet, it might be the most important state of the three. This post discusses the time of preparation before the valley and mountain top experiences of life. How do we handle the routine, when we experience neither high nor low but the mundane and boring things of life for extended periods of time?

Some have asked, which is more difficult to face, times of trial, adversity and difficulty, or times of sweet victory, triumph, and conquest. The tribulations of life often bring with them an unearthing of trust. They lay us bare and expose the roots of our faith. Do we indeed trust in the Lord God of the Universe, or do we trust in our own doings, our own understanding and perspective, or even those of another person we admire. While the valleys can generate doubts, fears and anxieties about God’s care, goodness, and even Presence, they sometimes can drive us to God. The mountaintop experiences can equally challenge us by tempting us to trust in our own abilities, achievements and their accolades, and can, at times, drive us from God. While winning and success can create a healthy self-confidence, often it creates a sense of superiority, an idolatry of self, and arrogance towards others. While the valleys can cause doubt and the mountains pride, what may I ask; do we do when both are absent, where we spend the vast majority of our time? How do we respond when there is no rush of adrenaline meeting us in the joys or sorrows of life, when the days are boring, repetitious, and without particular direction or purpose? What do we do when our lives require of us only to work, feed the kids, and take them to soccer practice? What do we do when life seems to be changing diapers, cleaning the house, and mowing the lawn? What do we do when life’s most difficult problem is preparing for an exam or wondering whom to invite to a party?
May I suggest that these days might in truth be the most important and challenging because they prepare us to face the adversary in the mountain and the valley?

Let me respond with a question. Consider a professional sporting event. How does a team prepare for a game? Don’t they spend countless hours practicing and reviewing plays, and discussing strategies? Consider the preparation before a decisive battle like the D-Day invasion in France? You know that they must have spent months in preparation for such a massive enterprise, on which the future of the free world would rely. Each event is not only particularly planned but also meticulously rehearsed. Despite an unknown outcome, the preparation for the event is the same. My favorite illustration is one that I am most familiar, an orchestra performance. The concert may sound beautiful, and the execution of the score stunning, but we must keep in mind that hours and hours of time beforehand were spent in individual practice and then ensemble rehearsal before the day the concert arrives. Practice in the facility to become accustomed to the acoustics is even part of the preparation.

Now how does this relate to the life of the Christian? Often, we tend to be driven by our circumstances to the extremes of life. In our valleys, we are often overwhelmed by our sorrows and plunged to despair, only to end in greater doubts and fears, to have our faith shaken or completely shattered. On our mountains, we are distracted with our own pride of achievement and think subtly that we can do things on our own. Our pride also ends up either distracting us from a deeper walk with the Lord or from a reliance on Him so that, in some case, we even walk away from Him, thinking that He is not necessary to a “successful” life.

Reacting to our circumstances instead of preparing ourselves for them is all too often our response. What I am suggesting then is that what we need a return to some traditional Christian practices. I want to focus on just a few of them. Plenty of attention is given to common Christian practices like Bible reading, evangelism, and corporate worship

Meditation: Joshua 1:8 says, “ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” As the people of God, we are not just called to read the Bible, God’s Word, nor just study it; we are commanded to meditate on it. Now what may I ask is meditation? This is not some eastern practice of emptying oneself of thought or self-awareness, but, on the contrary, of filling one’s mind with God’s Word that we might think rightly consider who God is and who we are, what He’s done and what we are to do. Where is the practice of meditation?

Fasting: Mt. 6:16 says, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.” Jesus did not say, “if” but “when”. We have the testimony of Scripture in Ester, Ezekiel, Daniel, 2 Samuel, 2 Chronicles, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Revelation. What makes us think we are superior to them that we no longer need to fast? No, fasting does not “get God to do” things for us, nor make us “closer” to Him. Rather, it helps us grow in humility and repentance, to see in our “consecration”, and focus more clearly on the truths of God’s Word. Now there are all sorts of secondary benefits, spiritual battle, helping the poor, and even bodily self-control but the primary benefit is one of spiritual growth and further glorification of Christ.

Prayer: Ephesians 6:18 says, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”. Having had different occupations with different time requirements, I can understand how time can be viewed as a precious commodity. But, what, may I ask, is our priority? If we acknowledge that prayer is important and that it should have first priority, we need next to ask ourselves, “What is prayer?” Is prayer just a coming before God with petitions and supplications, asking for items, even good items, as we go down a shopping list? Is prayer not communion with Him, spending time with Him in His Word, asking questions, wrestling with the hard obstacles and tragedies of life like, pouring out your heart in intercession for another, and crying out to Him in mercy, especially as we see the wickedness of our own hearts?

In conclusion, let me challenge you to make use of the “seemingly quiet” times in your life, to prepare for the battle, to rehearse for the concert, and practice for the game, with meditation on God’s Word, taking seriously the call to pray, and to fast whatever God puts on your heart to forego, as long as He asks. Let me challenge you further to examine the prayer of Daniel, listed below, and possibly even use them as a model for your prayers.

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. 8 “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly! 16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”