Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. —Isaiah 40:4
The Promised Land was not a level plain. It was a land of rocks, hills, and valleys. Our Promised Land will also have its ups and downs. Paul tells us to set our affections on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2). That means not only to seek heaven but also to set your mind on the things of God and His kingdom.
This does not mean the absence of life in this world. It is rather the ability to see the things of this world in the light of eternity. Is your perspective limited by time or released by eternity? Do you see life from God’s perspective or only from a human perspective?
Place your thought life, your emotions, and your will in God’s hands. Let Jesus smooth out your mountains of adversity and fill in your valleys of despair. He is the One who makes our high places low and our rough places plain. Keep Him ever before you as you make His kingdom your home.
Jesus, lift my eyes and affections to the mountaintops
of faith and hope. Give me Your perspective in every
decision of my life. Amen.
Curt Landry 
Michael L. Brown 
Rabbi Eric Tokajer 
