Making Progress in the Highest Place

What comes to your mind when you hear the words highest place? Do you think of success, prestige, abundance, freedom, or grand vision? Those in the highest positions of authority usually assume the best seats in the house, have the most say over decisions, and often possess the greatest wealth. However, we belong to a different Kingdom — a Kingdom that operates in reverse to the ways most used today.

How have things been going with you recently? For the last year, or perhaps more, I feel like I’ve been through one battle after another. Yes, I know I am making progress, but it is slow and often painful. As I look around at others, I see so many of them struggle spiritually, emotionally, and physically in similar ways. Something is up! Something is shifting!

I’ve been a Christian long enough to know that the enemy only resists those who take action to move forward. He doesn’t worry about half-asleep, comfort-seeking followers of Jesus. He absolutely fears those who press into God’s presence and who step out in faith. The hard part is discerning whether the resistance we face comes from the enemy or if we’ve moved outside the will of God.

Can you relate?

Take courage, dear friends. If we posture our hearts in humble obedience to God, the opposition we face usually proves we are standing in the highest place with Him!

The Highest Place

What is the highest place? It is when we are in sync with God and His purposes for your lives, drawing from His wisdom and relying on His strength.

“The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet and makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility].“
Habakkuk 3:19AMP

An older version of the Amplified Bible included trouble and suffering in my high places. We often misunderstand high places to mean freedom from difficulty. God uses them as tools for the best learning and developing ground ever.

I am sure you will agree. When we look back over my Christian walk, we see life through a different lens — a lens of appreciation for what God has done, of awe in how He has used every stage and phase to draw us closer to Him and bring us literally to a higher place of spiritual development. Only God can do and does such amazing things.

When everything shakes around us, God steadies us to walk through situations ahead in supernatural ways. He gives the strength and courage to step forward with spiritual confidence.

Don’t get me wrong. We may not always feel or look confident. As a matter of fact, we might appear the exact opposite.

The Secret

Habakkuk learned this faith lesson well. He passed his wisdom and knowledge on to us.

“Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!”
Habakkuk 3:17-18

“I will choose,” Habakkuk declares. “I will choose to keep my eyes on the victorious God of my salvation.” Even when everything appears covered in failure and defeat, when every effort seems to have fallen short, or when every human resource has been exhausted, I will choose to praise and thank my God.” What a powerful example!

The secret to overcoming the highest place of trouble and suffering lies in our ability to still choose Jesus, to keep on worshipping Him, and to hold to faith to give us feet to keep going. Maybe the secret isn’t so secret after all. Maybe the secret has been known for generations of faith-followers throughout time. And maybe, just maybe, God hands us (you and me) this not-so-secret key of chosen praise with confident invitation to join that ancient throng saying, “yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Amen! So be it, Lord.

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