My dear friends
Yesterday when I made contact with the Dutch singing group
Marturion I was reminded of the message I wrote back in 2002 which was inspired by their
song 'God on the mountain.'
Over three years down the line, a lot of water has gone
under the bridge; I am virtually completely paralysed, humanly speaking far advanced in
the valley of the shadow of death. One theme though that remains unchanged is God's
faithfulness.
To say that I am short of breath would be an understatement
but in my heart my once golden voice rings clearly,
"For the God on the mountain is still
God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He'll make them right.
And God in the good times is still God in the bad times,
The God of the day is still the God of the night."
I join Jeremiah as he asserts,
"Great is thy faithfulness."
(Lamentations 3:23)
A blessed week further.
Pressing on!
In His love
Fano Sibisi
18 April 2002
My dear friends
Greetings to you and your families!
Interesting how something you have seen or heard before
suddenly takes on a meaning. That's what happened to me some days ago as I listened to one
of Radio Khwezi's presenters, Philip Coetzee, introduce and play the song, "God on
the mountain." The words that gripped me were:
"For the God on the mountain is still
God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He'll make them right.
And God in the good times is still God in the bad times,
The God of the day is still the God of the night."
Yes, my dear friends, it's one thing to sing this kind of
song when you are on the "mountain." And there is nothing wrong with that. When
we are happy, when we are encouraged, let's give praise to Giver of all good things. But I
think it must be something special when praise comes from the "valley."
Once I sat in my office and talked to somebody who felt that God had been very unfair to
him. I asked if he thought his case was worse than that of Job. And do you know what? He
said, "Yes." He went and ruined himself.
But listen to Job's "Song of Praise" from the dark
deep valley:
"Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked
shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)
The Lord Jesus warns us against looking at things the way
pagans do. Remember how the Syrians explained their defeat by Israel in 1 Kings 20:23?
"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."
And the Lord's response?
"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." (1 Kings 20:28)
These days I was blessed as I read a devotion about the
skylark that sings God's praises early in the morning. But then many other birds sing
during the day. Then comes the night. The nightingale raises its voice in beautiful
melody.
"The God of the day is still the God of
the night."
This truth will become a reality to the world as we allow
God to work in and through us.
A blessed weekend to you.
Pressing on!
In His love
Fano
This is the rest of the song:
God on the Mountain
Life is easy when you're up on the mountain
and you've got peace of mind like you've never known.
But when things change and you're down in the valley
don't lose faith for you are 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 God in the good times is still God in the bad times,
The God of the day is still the God of the night.
We talk of faith when we're up on the mountain,
but talk comes easy when life is at its best'
but in the valley of trials and temptations,
That's when faith is really put to the test.
Chorus:
And the God in the good times is still God in the bad times.
The God of the day is still God of the night.
