When we are at a "spiritual high" we feel God's presence in every circumstance. We are able to speak with Him on the mountain top and hear His voice. However, when we face a "spiritual low," we are at the valley where we feel as if God cannot be found. We are consumed by depressing thoughts, and at times we feel as if we will never make it back to the top again.
Our spiritual walk is almost always defined by a constant rhythm of up and down movements. Why can't we just stay at the top and experience all that God has to offer forever? I know I wish I could have that. I hate how at times I can allow myself to fall to such a low point in life that I can't even feel God's presence. As a Christian, I know that He's always there, but I can't always feel that He's there. I think every Christian can relate to what I am talking about. And if not, please feel free to share with me how you do it! I'd love that.
I find myself at the highest point in my spiritual walk after a church camp, a retreat, a conference, etc. It's so easy to get close and personal to The Lord when you're in an environment where nearly everyone is pursuing The Lord's will for their life. After a few days or even a week or two of having that constant intimacy with Christ, I'm definitely at my spiritual high. I hate admitting that. I'm ashamed that I can't reach that highest point on my own.
I find myself at the lowest points when things don't go the way I thought they were suppose to, when I lose someone I care about, when things in life just don't make sense to me. And often times, I go from an amazing spiritual high and immediately into a spiritual low. Even though in my heart I know God is control of all circumstances and that He's going to make good out of whatever I'm going through, I still allow myself to fall into a spiritual slump. I'm ashamed of that as well. I'm ashamed that through the times when I need God the most I allow myself to go days without reading my Bible or praying like I should.
I've done a lot of thinking about spiritual highs and lows, and I realized that even Jesus Himself experienced a similar situation. In Mark 1, we see that Jesus was baptized and the Heavens opened up for Him, but then the following 40 days He experienced great temptation by Satan himself. That sounds like a pretty low point if you ask me. Though Jesus was faithful and did not fall into the temptations, He still had to experience a valley in life. With that chapter in mind, we see that it is biblical to experience spiritual highs and lows.
I think God gives us those high moments to show us what it's like to be in His presence. However, often times we allow our emotions to control that spiritual high, and our emotions are unstable like C.S. Lewis says, "Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not." Spiritual highs are almost always led by emotions especially when you experience them during a camp or retreat; but God wants us to experience our spiritual highs when He is doing something beautiful in our lives and when we reach the mountain top experience by our strong faith in Him instead of by emotions. Though church camps, retreats, and conferences are all wonderful experiences, we shouldn't depend on them to reach the top of the mountain and be close to God.
On the other hand, I think God gives us spiritual lows so that we realize our dire need for Him. Even when our faith is being stretched more than we think we can bear, He is there! He's showing us our great need for His direction in our lives. He tests us so that in the end we can come out with an even stronger faith. It's like a soldier going through boot camp. During boot camp the soldier is exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, but when he is finished with all of his training he is prepared for battle. God does the same with us. He puts us through tough times so that in the end we are prepared for battles with the enemy. When we realize our great dependency on God, we can be prepared for our valleys. Spiritual lows help us deepen our faith in The Lord. It's not something we should be ashamed of.
So next time we face a spiritual high make sure it's not centered around our emotions. Allow your spiritual high to be fueled by your faith in Christ. And the next time we encounter a spiritual low, don't be discouraged and stay in The Word even when it's hard.
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