Plateau Place

I remember in Geography class there were so many terms to learn.
Island, peninsula, mountain, valley, plateau…
I always loved the word plateau.
I loved the way it sounded.

Looking up the definition, plateau means an area of relatively level high ground.
It also means a state of little or no change.
As a verb, it means to reach a state of little or no change after a time of activity or progress.

Interesting.
What does this have to do with our spiritual life?

We have all heard about, or known firsthand, those mountaintop experiences.
Times of great spiritual growth.
Times of feeling such closeness to the Lord.

As wonderful as it would be to stay there, it is impossible this side of heaven.
We have to come down to the valley sometime.
We can bring the beauty of the mountaintop down to the valley.

We can bring what we have learned there, so we can help others.
We hold fast to the mountaintop memory…so that when the valley seems tedious, the remembrance of our time on the mountain will lift us up and encourage us to press on.

Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands and all who live in them. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices…let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim His praise in the islands. (Isaiah 42:10-12)

What about that plateau place?
What about being in a state of little or no change?
No growth…stagnant.

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Imagine a baby feeding on milk.
There is no sweeter picture of innocence and total dependency.
Feeding a growing child milk alone, with no solid food to sustain him, is absurd.
It is impossible to grow if you are not getting the nourishment you need to thrive.

Solid food is for the mature.
We all remember introducing new foods to our babies.
Soft cereal, applesauce…slowly graduating to vegetables….then eventually meat.
There was a progression, as we slowly introduced the new food.

As our children acquired a taste for solid food, they no longer wanted baby food.
Food became an adventure.

We need food for our souls just like we need food for our bodies.
We cannot remain comfortable with baby food.
We cannot expect someone to spoon feed verses and doctrine to us our whole life.
At some point, we have to pick up the fork and feed ourselves: Bible study, prayer, fellowship…quiet time in God’s word pondering His promises.

It is all right to begin with milk.
It is necessary.
It is not all right to stay there.
It is not all right to be content in the plateau place.

Often, we see new believers so excited about their faith.
A spiritual feast is before them.
Then, out of nowhere, things get hard…this is not what they expected.
It is a struggle to pick up the fork and eat.

They lose their taste for solid food…so they don’t eat.
They walk away from the table.
The next time we see them, they look thin and gaunt…malnourished.

If we allow them to stay in this plateau place they will shrivel up and die of hunger.
We have to get them back to the table…putting the meat of God’s Word before them.
We have to encourage them to eat.

If we are in a plateau place, we pray…then we ask for help and encouragement.
If we know of someone in a plateau place, we gently reach out…we invite them back to the table.
Meal fellowship…side by side…until there is strength to pick up the fork by themselves.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:12, 13)

We don’t belong in a plateau place.
God does not want us to stay there.
We need to keep growing so that we will become more like Jesus.

If we need help and strength to pick up our spiritual fork…we must admit it.
If we see someone who is satisfied with milk, and not the meat of God’s Word, we need to bring them to the table…to the feast that God provides.

No plateau place permitted.
It is mountaintop dining.
Cuisine for the mature.
Simply delicious.