“Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.” —1 Kings 20:28 

It was the quickest overtime game in NFL history. In January of 2012, Tim Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown pass to give the Denver Broncos a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before making his way to the postgame press conference, Tebow was stopped by a public relations person, who explained to him what just occurred.  

“I don’t think you realize what happened,” said the PR guy. “During the game you threw for 316 yards, your yards per rush were 3.16, your yards per completion were 31.6, the ratings for the game were 31.6, and the time of possession was 31:06.” During the game, 90 million people had already Googled “John 3:16”—a favorite Bible verse of Tebow—and it was the number one thing trending on Facebook and Twitter.  

“A lot of people will say it’s coincidence,” Tebow acknowledged. “I say big God.” 

The Steelers never imagined that Tebow could beat them with the air game, as they were confident the Broncos could only run the ball. They were stunned in defeat. 

In 1 Kings 20, Ben-Hadad and the officials of his Aramean army had a similar presumption that left them stunned in the end. They believed of Israel, “Their gods are gods of the hills… But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.” Yet an unnamed prophet stepped up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’” 

Seven days later, the battle was joined and the Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day, while the rest escaped to the city of Aphek, where a wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. God showed up strong and the Arameans learned Who was sovereign that day! 

Regardless of what your adversary might presume about you, your faith, or your God, The Great I Am has a long and flawless track record of showing up strong and proving His omnipotence. Unlike those lifeless pagan gods, He is the living GOD of the hills and the valleys. He’s not just Lord in prosperity and plenty, but in hardship and famine. He’s not just Lord when the journey is filled with joy, but just as faithful in seasons of suffering. He’s not just Lord in marital bliss, but also in times of relational stress. He’s not just Lord when your health is favorable, He is also Lord in the valley of sickness. 

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will never cease to demonstrate that He is Lord of both the hills and the valleys of our lives, and the victory He brings will inevitably and ultimately be stunning! Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, your word is life and truth. Thank you for the promise that your presence and sovereignty have no limitations in our lives. There is no valley too low for you to grace with your goodness toward us. You are worthy of our worship, in Jesus’ name, Amen.     

Questions for Reflection and/or Group Discussion

1. In what times or circumstances do you tend to get most discouraged? 

2. What was Ahab’s predicament when Ben-Hadad besieged Samaria? (1 Kings 20:1-3) What did one of God’s prophets tell Ahab about the outcome of the ensuing battle? (v. 13) 

3. What did Ben-Hadad assume about his ability to subdue Israel? (v. 18) 

4. Why did God determine that He would cause the small army of Israel to defeat the large army of Arameans on the plains? (v. 28) 

5. In what valleys of your life right now do you need to trust God’s sovereignty? 

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It’s really hard to not pull for Tim Tebow. As my friend said, “The critics are right. Tebow isn’t NFL material… he wins too much, works too hard, complains too little, and always makes much of Jesus.”

I used to be a Tebow hater when he was in college. But I have since repented of my waywardness and been converted. As Matthew Barnett acclaimed, I’m officially on the Broncos’ Tim Tebow bandwagon with Bible and tambourine.

I admire the man’s authentic, childlike boldness. It’s not pretentious or self-serving in any shape or form. While others charge that he tone down the “Jesus” rhetoric, I see a modern day Paul who refuses to do anything but play to the audience of ONE, while constantly exemplifying a hard work ethic, praising his teammates, respecting his opponents, and taking the spotlight off himself every time a microphone is put in front of him.

Even Christian athletes like Kurt Warner have campaigned for him to quiet down a little. Kurt, we loved you too when you were making much of Jesus regardless of what your critics said. God didn’t call us to witness through actions alone, He called us to proclaim the name of Christ and publish that name unashamedly. Our character certainly must line up with our spiritual convictions and conversations, but the scriptures never tell us to witness on character alone while closing our lips because people are tired of hearing the name of JESUS.

I hear nothing rude, derogatory, judgmental, or harsh in Tebow’s witness. On the contrary he is humble and respectful. We are instructed to witness with gentleness and respect, but also in boldness and firmness. We are never commanded in scripture to pull back on the name of Jesus for the sake of coddling the world.

Tebow, keep being YOU… and keep making JESUS famous through your character, integrity, and the testimony of your words. Let the world deal with it. We aren’t here to apologize for our boldness and to take away the offense of the cross. We are simply exhorted to make sure our character and integrity line up with our witness. When it does, make His name known!

What do Tim Tebow and Pakistan Christians have in common? Find out here.

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Honestly, I have tried to pull against Tim Tebow all year but it has been a nagging struggle. This young man is everything I want my son to be. Courageous. Passionate. A cultural rebel. A man who loves God and fears nothing. A man who makes good on his word.

After Florida’s sole loss to Ole Miss earlier in the season, Tebow held a press conference declaring, “You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of this season and you’ll never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of this season and you’ll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of this season.”

He backed up those words with actions the rest of the way as Florida rolled, winning their next eight games by an average of nearly 40 points – then delivering in the championship title game against Oklahoma.

They say even Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas to bed at night.

He’s a product of the right kind of homeschooling – not the kind that shelters kids from the rest of the world, but the kind that prepares them to engage the world. I want all of my kids to experience the same kind of moral fabric, spiritual strength, relational skills, leadership qualities, boldness, and youthful maturity that Tebow personifies. Every sports analyst I have heard who has interviewed Tebow says his maturity level is beyond his years. Yes, we all want it to be said of our kids.

Tim Tebow is an incredible role model for all of us who want to follow Christ with more passion, resolve, and sheer doggedness. And because of this, we can forgive Mr. Tebow for being a Gator. At least temporarily.

We will just love him more when he leaves Gainesville for the NFL.

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