"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." {1 Peter 5:7}

When you study your Bible, do you ever notice how many lessons God's people learned "in the valley," rather than on the "mountaintop?" God wants us to learn some lessons we cannot learn while everything is running smoothly, but when we are facing trials, tribulations, and difficulties. Let's examine some Biblical proof of this point.

Nadab and Abihu's Death. "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD." {Leviticus 10:1,2} God had just consecrated the priests for their tabernacle duties. Moses told Aaron not to show any public display of mourning over the deaths of his sons. God wanted Aaron and his sons to learn certain lessons. He had separated them to be priests for the tabernacle services and to offer sacrifices on His people's behalf. Such responsibilities demanded holy character from the priests. God viewed any failure to follow His instructions as utter violation of respect for Him and the law. Aaron and his family learned powerful lessons under difficult circumstances.

Defeat at Ai. "So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water." {Joshua 7:4,5} The nation had just won the first battle for the Promised Land-Jericho. Joshua's spies concluded that the city of Ai was small, and they did not need a large army to subdue it. But in the battle they were soundly defeated, retreated, and lost 36 men. Joshua was beside himself, but God told him the reason for the defeat-there was sin in the camp {Joshua 7:11}. Someone had not followed God's instructions during the defeat of Jericho, and the entire nation suffered because of it. Achan, because of his greed, cost the lives of 36 soldiers and eventually the lives of his own family. God wanted Israel to learn that they could not alter or amend His instructions without incurring serious consequences. Israel learned this lesson during their defeat by the men of Ai-not during their defeat of Jericho!

We cannot learn all of life's important lessons that help us better serve God while things are going smoothly. We learn true dependence on God during times of trial and tribulation {1 Peter 1:6,7; Romans 5:1-3}. Sometimes, when life's problems come upon us, we learn deeper trust and need for God. Such times are never pleasant, but they can be profitable. Lessons we learn in the valley can help strengthen us for the next time we enter the valley. They can also enable us to help others when they're in the valley. God help us learn our lessons!