Day 46: Growth in Highs and Lows

Reading: Psalm 22: 1-11

Yesterday, we read about how a huge low in the followers of Jesus turned into a victorious high. We read many similarities here of David as it foreshadows the cross. Life can work much like this pattern at times. We experience this high and we're on top of the world at one point, and before we know it, it is crashing down around us. Or we are sitting in a deep, dark pit in life and suddenly we experience something marvelous. We see that even though David is facing this incredible low, feeling abandoned as Jesus did on the cross, he still  puts great trust in God to deliver him from this darkness. Jesus felt this low in a greater way, but in the end there was a huge plan of victory for all who follow and trust in Him. God uses those low times to make something good. Just put your trust in Him when those pits come, and before you know it, you'll be on a high.

When have you felt abandoned by God?



When has God turned a deep low in your life into a wonderful high?




Reading: Mark 1:1-28

Dealing with the spiritual highs and lows in our lives help build our confidence in faith. Jesus taught and spoke with authority, which impressed the people who listened to Him. We read how Jesus went through this amazing spiritual high in His baptism, hearing the words of His Father and being built up in ministry, and just after gathering His first disciples, we see a demon-possessed man challenge Him. Jesus, however faces him with authority and confidence. When we experience those high times in life, that is the perfect time for Satan to attack and knock us back down, causing us to lose our confidence. But we can see how Jesus battled these attacks and kept His composure in the focus of His mission.
Let those times that hit you hard and try to knock you down actually build you up. Gain strength and power from the Holy Spirit and allow Him to use you through those attacks. When you are sitting on a spiritual high in life, allow that time to build you up and help you to gain confidence in proclaiming the Good News.

When have you experienced a spiritual high in life that was attacked suddenly?



How do you gain confidence and strength from both the high and low points in life?




Reading: Exodus 17:1-18:27

When we experience those lows, we need to remember to turn to others to support us. Moses faced many lows as he led the people through the wilderness. Here we read about the complaints, quarrels, battles, etc. that he had to manage. Moses would turn to God and get advice from Him as to what to do with certain situations. When the battle against the Amalekites came about, we read how as long as Moses had his hands up with the staff, the Israelites had the advantage, but when Moses grew tired and dropped his hands a bit, the Amalekites would gain. But Moses also had the support of Hur and Aaron who helped him keep his hands raised so Joshua could overcome the Amalekites.
We also read how Moses' father in law gave him sound advice and encouragement as Moses learned how to manage the people. We were never meant to micromanage everything around us. Delegation is a very biblical concept, as we read here. Moses learns to delegate to good, honest leaders so he doesn't have to carry the load of the people alone. The key to delegation is good delegation, however.
Remember to look for support in those frustrating, hard times, as Moses did.

Where do you look for support when you face frustrating situations in life?



Do you delegate well, or is this something you could work on? How can you get better at it?




Life will be full of highs and lows, and many times they hit one right after the other. It is important to remember that God can turn the lows into good and He can grow us through both the highs and lows. We need to remember to grow ourselves through them, rather than simply wallowing in them. Growing can give you confidence in your faith to stand up to those inevitable attacks in life. We also need to remember that we don't need to endure those lows alone. Seeking God's advice and the advice and help from others can do us a world of good. Just make sure you are turning to the right people for that advice.