Yesterday God showed up. Perhaps you experienced the power of God like Elijah did, calling down fire from heaven. Perhaps you heard God say as He did to Jesus, “You are my beloved child. I’m pleased with you!” Or like the disciples you’ve been part of passing out miracle bread to thousands of people.

But today. Today things are different. Today you feel like running scared from Jezebel. You’re facing the devil himself coming at you with strong temptations. Or you’re out in the middle of the lake and your boat is filling with water. (See 1 Kings 18:30-19:5, Matthew 3:13-4:11, Matthew 14:13-27)

We love the mountaintops, the moments when we experience God showing up in tangible ways. To desire that is human. Peter wanted to build shelters so he and the others could hang out on the mountaintop with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. (Matthew 17:4) We’d like that too!

But those Bible stories also illustrate that we don’t live there. We need those moments for soul nourishment, to fuel hope. We seek God’s power and His presence. It’s important to nurture and celebrate those times.

And then we go on living.

Coming down from the mountaintop can be a slippery time. How can you continue to live well between those high points?

Here are three things to do between mountaintop experiences.

1. Remember God is With You

God is no less present when your boat is filling with water than He was when you were passing out miracle bread. You may not be able to “feel” Him like you did yesterday, but that doesn’t mean He’s not there.

It’s easy to fall into using our senses to “decide” whether God is with us or not. If your feelings are “warm and fuzzy,” God is good! If your bank account, your marriage, your job, your health are looking good, God is with you. And when you face problems, where did God go?

But based on the New Testament, as important as those practical factors are for our human lives on earth, they are not a measure of whether or not God is with you, or is pleased with you.

Your feelings are real, but they are only part of the truth. Look for the rest of the truth. Intentionally hold on to what you know about God from His Word and from His dealings with you in the past. Your boat may be rocked, but you’re not going down. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

And when you doubt God’s presence, it’s OK to borrow some faith from others around you for a time. And to call out, “I believe! Help my unbelief.”

2. Do the Next Right Thing

You don’t get a free pass to mess up or to walk away just because things get difficult. You may have to slow down. And you may have to ask for help. But you just keep doing the next right thing even when you don’t feel like it.

The next right thing may be taking care of your own body and mind with rest, food, mental nourishment, enjoying beauty, etc. It may spending time just being with family or close friends, nurturing those personal relationships. It may be making that difficult decision even without all the facts, or doing your job with as much excellence as you can.

The next right thing will also include continuing to come back into God’s presence. You run to Him, not away from Him, when things go sideways. He is the One you bring your deepest questions to. You keep listening for His voice.

And you keep doing the last thing He told you until you hear something different.

3. Keep Passing It On

When life is difficult, when facing temptation, when up against your limitations, it’s easy to focus on yourself. That’s never a healthy place to stay very long. Your perseverance is not only about you. Others are watching you, and are impacted by what you do next.

It may seem your temptation is only about you, and no one will know if you slip up just this once. In the middle of your mess it may seem easier to just “curse God and die.” (Job 2:9) Your head knows that God knows. But will it really matter?

Remember that there is a “great cloud of witnesses” both seen and unseen. (Hebrews 12:1) This doesn’t mean you should keep your struggle hidden; far from it. (Not that you could even if you wanted to.) This isn’t about trying to look good.

It does mean that choosing to believe God is with you and doing the next right thing make an impact far beyond you. When you refuse to lie or cheat when it would seemingly be to your advantage to do so, when you overcome porn, stay present and work through the hard times in your marriage, fight for your faith when tempted to give it up, you become an overcomer. Others see that and are strengthened by it whether or not they know any details.

God needs you. We need you. What you do between those mountaintop experiences will make the biggest impact – in your own life, for others, and for eternity.

Your Turn: How are you handling the times between mountaintop experiences? What does “doing the next right thing” look like for you? Leave a comment below.

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