ARE WE
LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES?
Part 21: The Valley of
Humiliation
“Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
As we have
travelled with Christian through The Pilgrim’s Progress, we have been asking
the same question from the beginning: Are we looking for Jesus in the wrong
places? We have looked at the foundation of the Christian journey, the
different responses to the Gospel, the dangers of worldly wisdom, the work of
the Holy Spirit, the Law and its inability to cleanse the heart, and the Cross,
where Christian's burden was removed. We have also looked at difficulty,
pressure, temptation, and the danger of becoming careless. In the last post,
Christian arrived at the Palace Beautiful, where he was welcomed, given
fellowship, instructed, and shown the armour prepared for pilgrims. Now he
leaves the Palace, and the road takes him down into the Valley of Humiliation.
I find it
interesting that Christian has just come from a place where he has been
welcomed and encouraged. He has been able to rest, talk about his experiences,
and learn from those who have gone before him. Yet the next part of the road
takes him down into a valley.
Bunyan does not
present the Valley of Humiliation merely as a place of misery. There is
fruitfulness there, and Christian is able to pass through it. But as he
continues, he encounters someone who urges him to turn back.
What fascinates
me about Christian's journey is his commitment to the call of obedience. He
knows where he has come from and where he is going, and despite everything that
happens along the way, he remains committed to following the call that set him
on the road in the first place. His journey seems far removed from my own. I
have taken wrong turns, hesitated, questioned, become discouraged, and at times
allowed the pressures of life to influence how I respond to what I know God has
said. When I see Christian standing before Apollyon, refusing to turn back, I
have to ask myself how committed I am to the same call of obedience when
obedience becomes difficult.
His name is
Apollyon. Apollyon approaches Christian and begins to question him, asking
where he has come from and where he is going. Christian tells him that he has
left the City of Destruction and is travelling towards the Celestial City.
Apollyon begins
to reason with him about his decision. Why leave the place he came from? Why
continue on a road that has already brought him so much hardship? Why not
return? What interests me is that he does not begin by attacking Christian. He
begins by speaking to him.
That is often how
deception works. The enemy does not always present something that immediately
looks evil. Sometimes the temptation is to question what God has already said
or to reconsider a decision we know we have made in accordance with His Word.
Christian knows
where he has come from and where he is going. More importantly, he knows whom
he serves. He tells Apollyon that he is a servant of the Prince of princes and
has sworn to serve Him. Christian does not claim that the road has been easy.
He simply refuses to return to the place from which he has been delivered.
We have already
discussed what happens when the pressure mounts. When we are tired,
discouraged, disappointed or hurting, the temptation to find something that
eases the pressure can become very strong. The alternative can start to look
attractive simply because it appears to offer relief. But where does that
alternative lead us?
Apollyon becomes
angry because Christian refuses to turn back, and the conversation escalates
into a battle. Christian is attacked and wounded, but eventually draws his
sword and defeats Apollyon.
Christian has
already been to the Cross. His burden has been lifted. He has climbed Hill
Difficulty, faced his own carelessness, returned for his roll, and reached the
Palace Beautiful. None of those things meant he would never face another
battle. In fact, he has just been shown the armour prepared for pilgrims, and
now we see why.
Paul writes:
“and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17
We looked at the
armour of God in the previous post, so I do not want to repeat everything we
have already considered. But Bunyan has placed the armoury immediately before
Christian meets Apollyon, and Christian now has to use what has been provided
for him.
This brings me
back to the importance of God's Word. When circumstances change, our feelings
can shift with them. What seemed clear yesterday can look very different under
pressure. Other people may offer advice, and some of it can sound very
convincing. But the Word of God remains our final authority.
Jesus said:
“Sanctify
them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17
There have been
many times in my life when I have wanted my great heavenly Father to change my
circumstances, but I have come to realise that sometimes the change I was
seeking had to begin with me. I needed to sit at His feet, open His Word, and
allow Him to change the way I saw what I was going through. I still do not
always understand what Jesus Christ, my Lord, is doing, but I am learning that
obedience means trusting my great heavenly Father even when I cannot see where
He is taking me.
Perhaps Peter
helps us understand this better. He tells us not to be surprised when the fiery
trial comes,
“as
though something strange were happening to you.” 1 Peter 4:12.
Peter does not
tell us that suffering means we are on the wrong road. He tells us not to be
surprised when trials come. This is a fundamental point to grasp, because we
must find our direction in God's Word. When we understand this, the question
becomes not simply “Why?” but “What can I learn from this?”
Bunyan does not
portray Christian as someone who is never afraid or never injured. He portrays
him as someone who knows whom he serves and refuses to turn back. That, I
think, is something we need to understand. Being a Christian does not mean
opposition or temptation will disappear, or that every difficult circumstance
will suddenly change. A Christian has been prepared, but he still has to stand.
“Therefore
take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:13
I certainly do
not claim to have mastered this. Far from it. I am still learning what it means
to stand when the pressure comes, to listen to the instruction of God's Word
rather than to my own feelings, and to trust my great heavenly Father even when
I do not understand what is happening. But this is what Scripture teaches us,
and if the Word of God is our final authority, then this is where I must begin.
Christian
resisted Apollyon, and eventually the battle was over. He continued along the
road.
Signing
off
Tyrone
Scripture References: James 4:7; Ephesians 6:10-18; John 17:17;
1 Peter 4:12
