There was a story of a farmer who found a little girl that was lost in his meadow. The little girl was crying and told the farmer that she was lost and scared. The farmer said to her “Do not cry I’ll take you home. The little girl snuggled up to him and with a smile said I knew you would. I was waiting for you. Waiting for me? Said the man? What made you think I was coming? I was praying you would she said. Praying, said the farmer. When I first heard you were saying A B D E F G What was that for? She looked up again and said I’M just a little girl. I was praying all the letters of the Alphabet and letting God put them together the way he wanted to. He knew I was lost, and He knew how to put them together better than I do.

Like that lost and frightened little girl, we too are faced with situations that we feel so ill equipped to handle. Sometimes we are so bewildered we don’t even know where to begin. Consider the following events.. A bad report at the doctor’s office, a serious financial setback, a natural disaster which has taken our home and all of the contents within, death of a good friend or loved one. All of these cause great stress and sometimes a sense of hopelessness. But, here is the great news, God is still God. He hasn’t left us or forsaken us. He never has and He has promised that he never will.

This morning I would like for us to look at two biblical accounts where we can definitely come to the conclusion that God Is Still God.

We will first look at scripture in 1 Kings, Chapter 20, and focusing on verses 23 through 30. Let’s read those verses right now:

1Kings 20:23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

 1Kings 20:24 And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:

 1Kings 20:25 And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

 1Kings 20:26 And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

 1Kings 20:27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

 1Kings 20:28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

 1Kings 20:29 And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.

 1Kings 20:30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.

The Book of 1 Kings was written by an anonymous author, likely a prophet or scribe, who chronicled the history of the Kingdom of Israel after the reign of King David. This particular chapter focuses on the conflict between the Israelite King Ahab and the Syrian King Ben-hadad. Israel add been in this situation before with the Syrian King Ben-hadad but God was faithful and gave Israel a decisive victory over their Syrian enemy. Now the evil King Ben-hadad was back once again and making evil demands on the nation of Israel.

1 Kings 20 reminds us of our reward when we  trust in God and the consequences of our disobedience. which are woven throughout the tapestry of the Old Testament. We are also reminded of the importance of seeking divine guidance, as seen in the prophet’s instructions to Ahab (1 Kings 20:13), and the consequences of relying on one’s own strength,

Have you ever faced a valley before? Where it seemed that you were out numbered, surrounded, and were completely and totally helpless. .This is how Israel felt this day. The tear before Ben-hadad had brought 32 kings and their armies against Samaria, and God brought a wonderful victory. But now Ben-hadad is back. A servant had convinced him that Israel’s God is a God of mountaintops, but their gods are gods of the valley. If they could get Israel into a battle in the valley, they would be victorious.

Israel is so out-numbered that they look like 2 small herds of sheep, While Ben-hadads army cover the whole valley. Could you imagine the fear that gripped the hearts of the army of Israel? Discouragement and despair must have filled their minds. Thoughts of giving up; Surrender must have been the discussion of the day. But God was not going to stand for the idea that His presence was limited to the mountain tops.

Have you ever faced a valley before? Where it seemed that you were out numbered, surrounded, and were completely and totally helpless. .This is how Israel felt this day. The tear before Ben-hadad had brought 32 kings and their armies against Samaria, and God brought a wonderful victory. But now Ben-hadad is back. A servant had convinced him that Israel’s God is a God of mountaintops, but their gods are gods of the valley. If they could get Israel into a battle in the valley, they would be victorious.

Israel is so out-numbered that they look like 2 small herds of sheep, While Ben-hadad’s army cover the whole valley. Could you imagine the fear that gripped the hearts of the army of Israel? Discouragement and despair must have filled their minds. Thoughts of giving up; Surrender must have been the discussion of the day. But God was not going to stand for the idea that His presence was limited to the mountain tops. Notice what happened, not  only did God provide victory for the grossly outnumbered Israelites but the victory was absolutely overwhelming.  God is not only the God of the mountain but He is God of every valley that you will face in your life.

Let’s look at the Valleys of life a little closer.

1. A Valley is a place of Trial.

(A) The valley is the place that our faith is put to the test.(1Peter 1:6-7)

(B) The valley is hard( Psalm 84:5-6)

Baca means place of weeping;

A valley in Palestine, Full of thorns and brush.

God will care for them in the valley.

God will bring them out.

Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy Comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

When you are standing on the mountain tops the Power of God fills your Spirit.

2. A Valley is a place of victory.(1Samuel 17)
3. A) Israel stood on the edge of the valley for 40 days listening to Goliath. Goliath was a monster of a man. Some scholars today estimate that he was over 9 feet tall in today’s system of measurement and his sword weighed about 15 pounds.

The scriptures say that Israel’s army was dismayed. Dismayed meant that they were overwhelmed with fear, distress, or anxiety, to the point of losing courage or resolve. Indeed they must of thought they were fighting a losing battle.

The moment the rock hit it’s mark Victory was heard in the valley, As all the army of Israel rose up to defeat the philistine army.

God was their God in the valley that day.

God was still God.

In closing, there is a song that expresses the sustaining power of God. It is called God on the Mountain and the verses are as follows;

Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain
And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known
But things change, when you’re down in the valley
Don’t lose faith, for your never alone

Chorus:
For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day, is still God in the night

We talk of faith way up on the mountain
But talk comes easy, when life’s at its best
Now its down in the valleys, trials and temptations
That’s where your faith is really put to the test

For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day, is still God in the night

For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day, is still God in the night

The God of the day, is still God in the night

Riverview, God is still God!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Amen!