Food for a Return to the Mountain

While we sit in the valley, preparing to go back to the grind, back to the hustle and bustle, we must consider what we will need to eat when we’re up on the mountain. The valley is a place of both restoration and preparation. The valley is where we return to our healthy weight and where we pack the food we know we will need on our journey back up.

Similar to our physical body, the spiritual and theological proteins and healthy fats we “eat” build, shape, and strengthen us as sons and daughters. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul referred to this type of necessary food as the “milk” and “meat” of revelation, discipline, and insight. The Corinthians’ inability, in his eyes, to digest or even hunger for more grown-up forms of protein and fat was an indicator of the shape their faith and hearts were in.

This kind of food—the meat and milk, the protein and fat—is mostly found in the slow, intentional, and still moments in God’s presence. It’s where you give space for God to download ideas, strategies, plans, and a deep understanding of who you are in him. The message may come through a sermon or through reading, but the most important element is that you digest it and let it become a building block of who you are. Consuming such food in the valley changes you and prepares you to not be so eaten at the core and famished into frailty on the mountain.

When I am in the valley, I am reminded of our God-given muscle as sons or daughters of the Most High. We have the authority and the green light to make moves, expand the Kingdom, make money, and “occupy till [the Master comes]” (Luke 19:13). That bit of protein gives me strength and is needed in abundance during the climb.

We know that spiritual and soul-keeping food will be slim pickings on the mountain. So what God has shown you in the valley must be recorded, kept, prepped, and packed for future remembrance, future maintenance, and future sustenance on the mountain.

Dear Lord, thank you for the nutrients You provide in the valley. Today I will fill back up on the food of time in Your presence, in Your Word, and in prayer. Amen.

Was this plan helpful? We adapted this plan from Before You Climb Any Higher: Valley Wisdom for Mountain Dreams by Jonathan McReynolds. Check it out for more.