In the shadow of the mountain

Pike’s Peak, a mountain in Colorado, rises to 14,110 feet above sea level!  I’ve been to the summit twice, once driving up – what a rush; and once taking the cog rail.  Even in the thin oxygen, feeling a little shaky, I was filled with awe. Katherine Lee Bates captured the emotion in her poem which we sing as “America, the Beautiful” which she wrote after a trip to the top of Pikes Peak in 1895.  Looking each, out across the Great Plains,  west over the crags of the Rocky Mountains, a person feels awe and exhilaration. It is a natural ‘high,’ no pun intended!  Reaching the top before roads or rail would have been a feat of endurance!

When we walk with Christ we climb some mountains, too.  At times, on the horizon, there are menacing peaks daring us to move ahead. Finishing a degree, healing a broken relationship, seeing our child through the turbulence of the teen years, beating an addiction, coping with serious illness – are some of those mountains.  We come to the foot of the mountain, so to speak, and wonder if we can make it over the top.  Day after day, we press ahead; sometimes breathless, sometimes exhausted.  We pray and press on. Then, we reach the goal, resolve the issue, and it is like reaching the summit of a mountain. New vistas open.  We discover faith we never knew was possible, a sense of joy we could not have anticipated on the ascent.

God summoned Moses to the mountain! "Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights." (Exodus 24:15-18, NLT) There, in God’s Presence, Moses received the Law, the plan for the Tabernacle which was the center of Israel’s worship, revelations great and wonderful. He was a changed man after his ascent to the top of Mt. Sinai.

John, too, was carried to a mountain where he gained new perspective! "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal." (Revelation 21:10-11, NIV) From the height of his visionary mountain, John wrote of the disciple’s great hope, the promise of God’s victory over sin and suffering in a book that has encouraged and intrigued Christians for two millennia- The Revelation of Jesus Christ!

In the classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory about our journey to the Celestial City, John Bunyan wrote of the Delectable Mountains that afford the pilgrims, Christian and Hopeful, a view of their final destination. His insight is clear and instructs us well. From the heights of the mountains we have to climb along the way, we catch glimpses of God’s glory that draw us along.

Are you living in the shadows of the valley right now?
Does some peak stand ahead of you, daring you to scale its heights?
Or are you in the climb, feeling exhausted; seeing only more difficulty as you look ahead?

Keep climbing! New vistas will appear when you get to the summit!

"O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young."
(Isaiah 40:9-11, NLT)

__________

By My Spirit

Is there a mountain in your way?

Do doubts and fears abound?

Press on, oh hear the Spirit say,

This mountain shall come down.

“Not by might, nor by pow'r,

By My Spirit,” saith the Lord of Hosts.

“Not by might, nor by pow'r,

By My Spirit,” saith the Lord.

This mountain shall be removed.

This mountain shall be removed.

This mountain shall be removed.

“By My Spirit,” saith the Lord.

Then trust alone the mighty God.

He speaks the winds obey!

Take courage, then oh fainting heart,

For you He'll make a way.

Almeda Herrick | Cyril McLellan

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