Lesson 5: You gotta go down before you can go up.
I was climbing a pretty steep mountain one day in Nepal when I had this revelation: sometimes you have to go down before you can go up. As I was hiking Sarangkot, I got to a point where the best and maybe only way I could continue further up was to first go back down quite a ways, diagonally, even though that seemed contradictory to my overall goal of getting to the top. My spirit started to sense another upside down principle that the kingdom of God operates under. At the time, I thought, “hmm… this feels profound,” but didn’t know how, so I typed that phrase in my notes on my phone and continued on.
About a month later the Lord highlighted this quote to me: “There is no resurrection without a crucifixion.” As I meditated on it, He broke it down into two parts. One: There can be no resurrection without a burial. Two: There can be no burial without a death/crucifixion. “That’s awfully delightful,” I sarcastically thought. I was so perturbed thinking, “Oh great, God, you’re telling me I need to experience death and being buried before I can live a new resurrected life? That’s a little dark, don’t ya think?”
In that, the Lord was actually encouraging me in preparation for a season of darkness and loneliness that was coming soon. He was telling me that with Him, times of lowness, darkness, and despair are not only okay, but are actually massive blessings because of how He uses them to produce light, hope, exaltation and new life. Those seasons are not good in and of themselves, but God works every single one to bring better life than there previously was. We all want to be on the top of a mountain. We all want to be glorified and resurrected, but are we willing to go through the process of dying and being buried to get there? Are we willing to trust God in the process? I wasn’t! And I’m still not always, but now that I’ve experienced life – I know the death is always worth it.
Another good analogy to grasp this is to think about a seed. A seed cannot grow into a big, beautiful, strong tree unless it is buried and remains in cold, wet darkness for a while first. Then a big, strong, glorious tree can grow and the life of the tree is far greater than the life of the seed.
About a month after that conversation with God, He helped me grasp this concept more practically. I was running on the side of the road in Molepolole, Botswana and listening to the story of Joseph. God highlighted this point to me: Joseph had to be thrown down into a well by his brothers, lowered further by being sold into slavery, and lowered even further by being thrown into prison, none of which was deserved in any way. Joseph spent about 13 years in slavery and prison, combined. But, it was only from prison that he could have met Pharaoh’s ex-cupbearer and baker, interpret their dreams, and then be called up out of prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, after which he was exalted to the position of the right hand of Pharaoh, the only place he could save all of Egypt and his family from the famine, the place of second highest honor and authority in that place. (super cool story that I am super summarizing, that you might like to read if you haven’t: Genesis 37-50)
God spoke massive amounts of encouragement and life into me through this story. Those times of despair, emptiness, loneliness, and hopelessness (the times of crucifixion and burial) aren’t just okay, but are actually key ingredients in receiving and living out a greater measure of the kingdom and abundant life (the resurrection). Sometimes a pit is the only place that can propel you to the stars. So whether you have been in a pit for 13 years like Joseph, or one day now, or you are approaching one as the Lord revealed to me, cling to God, put your trust in Him, submit to Him, hope in Him, and take heart. Exaltation, deliverance, and resurrection will follow in such a great measure that it will make the death and grave well worthwhile – maybe even a joy to suffer.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:14-18
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:6-10
Jesus, thank you for your ultimate example of suffering, death, burial, and resurrected life. And now you are seating on the throne in the heavenlies, and we praise you for that! Thanks that you don’t waste our lowness and suffering, but you remain in it with us until the proper time and then you lift us up above where we ever could have been before. Thanks for your love for us. Humble me, God, to endure. Humble me to go low so you can raise me up. I trust you with my whole life – especially my times in the pit. Thanks for working all things for my good and your glory because You love me and I love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
