Valleys, Mountains, and His Grace.  By Shannon Smith.

God has been showing me the seasons when I walked closely with Jesus and the seasons I didn’t. As I have been driving to work, He has been revealing the grace that has been, and continues to be given to me. There were seasons when I walked closely with Jesus, and there were seasons when I didn’t. There were mountain tops where I celebrated, valleys where I struggled, and times when I simply decided I could do it on my own. What a huge mistake that was. But God never left me, nor did He forsake me.

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”  ~Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV.

His grace and mercy are new every morning, and His grace is sufficient. He never walked away.

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  ~ II Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

I have learned that surrendering everything to Jesus is not weakness; it is freedom and it’s the only way I can survive.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

There are times I struggle with it or I take it back, but it’s getting easier and easier to realize that God is in control and has a perfect plan for me (us). I know His ways and thoughts are greater than mine.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”  ~Isaiah 55:9 NKJV – Another one of my favorite scriptures.

I tried to do things my way. I carried worries that were never meant for me to carry alone. I thought I could figure things out, fix things, control things, and somehow make everything work if I tried hard enough.

It in fact did not work, but it always brought me back to the feet of Jesus. Even when I wasn’t walking with Him there was always His still small voice calling me back to Him.

There have been mountain tops in my life where I felt close to Jesus and could see his goodness so clearly. There have also been valleys, deep valleys, where life felt too  heavy and I didn’t know which way to turn.

One promise I always remember:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  ~James 4:8 NKJV

Learning to let go and wait for His answer has been so freeing and healing. Through it all I discovered something I never want to forget:

when I walked away, He stayed.