Spiritual Geography: Mountains and Valleys in Scripture

“Life’s a bit like mountaineering—never look down.” These words belong to Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand mountaineer, Antarctic explorer, and philanthropist—an authority on mountain climbing. Hillary and the Tibetan mountaineer Tenzing Norgay were the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. In our study with Today in the Word this month, we’ll see that Hillary’s words apply to our spiritual walk as well.

As we study physical and spiritual geography in the Bible this month, we’ll explore three main themes: we’ll climb the mountains and traverse valleys where people had life-changing encounters with God; we’ll examine how the geography of the land of Israel is reflected in the journey of faith of the people of Israel; and finally, we’ll look into the various landscape images in scriptural prophecy. We’ll praise God for being the Lord of our mountaintop experiences, as well as our Good Shepherd in the dark valleys of despair.

Thank you for joining us on the journey through the biblical terrain this month! Our prayer is that this study will encourage you to look up to the Lord no matter the season or type of landscape you’re going through. We hope that when you’re desperate for help, you’ll agree with the psalmist: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).

—Elena Mafter, Senior Editor