From Mountain Highs to Valley Lows: Staying Strong by Keeping Your Eye on the Prize
We’ve all had those moments where we feel spiritually high, maybe after a powerful worship service, a breakthrough in prayer, or a personal revelation from God. But just as quickly, life can bring us back down into the valley. Disappointment, frustration, or conflict can hit without warning. This contrast between the mountaintop and the valley is something Jesus Himself experienced profoundly.
In Luke 9:28–36, Jesus ascends the mountain with Peter, James, and John. There, He is transfigured before them, His face radiant, His clothing dazzling white, as Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Him about His upcoming departure. It’s a stunning moment, filled with glory and the Father’s affirmation. A voice from heaven declares, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him.” Talk about a spiritual “high!”
But what happens next is striking. Jesus comes down from that mountain only to be met with chaos and disbelief. A desperate father pleads with Him to heal his demon-possessed son, because the disciples had failed to cast out the evil spirit. Jesus, responding in deep frustration, says:
“O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer you?” (Luke 9:37–40)
The contrast between the glory of the mountain and the brokenness of the valley seems to have struck even Jesus.
At the beginning of the same chapter in Luke, Jesus had commissioned the disciples to go out to “preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”. It says they went out “preaching the gospel and healing everywhere” and that when they came back, they “told him all they had done.” Next, Jesus spends all day healing the multitudes and feeding 5,000 men plus women and children.
The disciples witnessed it, and then came the transfiguration experience on the mountaintop. I suspect that when Jesus encounters the unbelief of the disciples, it strikes him as though the disciples’ faith has taken an abrupt step backward.
And yet, Jesus isn’t dissuaded. He doesn’t let the sudden “low” discourage him from His mission. A few verses later, He tells His disciples that He “shall be delivered into the hands of men”, and then “steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.”
He knows the cross is coming, and He walks toward it with unwavering focus. Why? Because He was laser-focused on the redemption of mankind and the glory of His resurrection and kingdom to come, as Hebrews 12:2 tells us, Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” His eyes weren’t fixed on the obstacles in front of Him, but on the eternal prize beyond them.
What can we learn from this?
First, spiritual highs are real, and they matter. But they aren’t the whole story. God may give you glimpses of glory to strengthen your faith, but you must also be prepared for the valleys. Like Jesus, you may come down from an “encounter” or “experience” only to face disappointment, resistance, or failure. Those obstacles do not mean your encounter was unauthentic or meaningless. They only mean you are on a journey and in a process that has not yet been completed.
Second, we must keep our focus. Hebrews 12:1–2 urges us to “run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus.” He is our model for perseverance. When things don’t go as planned, when people let us down, when the mission feels heavy, we don’t give up. We lift our eyes. We remember the joy set before us.
From the mountain highs to the valley lows, the key is to keep your eye on the prize. Jesus did. And because He did, so can we.
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