The Mountains of Life

What mountains do you have in your life? Are they familiar territory, ones that you have seen from all sides as you go round and round again? Or is there an unfamiliar mountain you are facing, one for which you do not have a map or a charted path laid out to follow? Is there a single isolated chunk of rock on a flat plain and it just *had* to be right in the middle of the way you need to go? Or are you looking at a range of cloud-piercing snow-covered rugged peaks that stretch from horizon to horizon with no obvious passes below the snow line?

Each of us face them. Most of us have dealt with some already; all of us will face more. God uses the mountains in our lives in different ways. Eternally, endlessly creative, He will not be put in a box and defined by a few rules; He is Sovereign.

Mountains help us with perspective. We sometimes unknowingly tend to bring our image of God down to a manageable, understandable, predictable size (big, but not too big; strong, but just a little stronger than me). But when we are faced with a massive mountain that we cannot even see the top of, and realize the ferocity of the winds and storms that whip the bare rough stone outcrops and sheer drops on the sides, we feel completely outclassed and without hope of overcoming it. When God steps in and we see the ease with which He deals with the issue, we understand better the majesty of God and again feel the awe and reverential fear that the Lord deserves.

Mountains bring us closer to God. As they rise from the plain and we journey through their foothills, then up their sides, the climb gets to be long and hard. We feel tired, our breath comes shorter, we look to sit down and rest more often. If our line of sight gets shortened, we may only see the individual rocks in our path that we are climbing over, one after another after another, wondering when these obstacles will ever stop blocking our way. When God calls us to a time of rest, He will pick a scenic overlook and refresh our vision; then we will understand that each rock, each boulder, was lifting us, one level at a time, closer to Him, nearer to our destination.

Mountains serve as landmarks. When pilgrims journey, they need some way to mark the right direction and measure the distance traveled. Keeping to the north of this one will let us avoid the swampy river bottom that would mire us. Keeping that one to our right will allow us to skirt the desert and find water to refresh us on the journey. When the travel seems endless and there are only more trees and hills and rivers to cross, looking back and seeing a mountain peak diminishing and vanishing in the distance behind you helps you to remember that you have not been going in circles, wasting time, but you have actually covered much ground and are much closer to the destination you are looking forward to, the place you can find rest, the city whose builder and maker is God, where the glory of God illuminates it and the Lamb is its light.

Don't fear the mountains, whether standing at the foot looking up, or on the heights, looking down. Let God guide you a step at a time, let Him strengthen you for today's travels, and tonight, thank Him for the progress you have made. Some mountains He will give you the faith to cast into the sea, some mountains He will give you the wisdom to find the pass to get by them and the strength to see them sink below the horizon behind you, and some mountains He will call you to the top of to meet with you and write His Word in your heart.

Blessed Lord, Guide of our paths, Companion on our pilgrimage, thank You for walking with us today. Your rod and Your staff keep us safe and help us on our journey. We listen carefully, Lord, for the wisdom You impart at the forking of the trails, the direction You give us as we immerse ourselves in Your Word and attune ourselves to Your Spirit and fellowship with Your Body. You provide our needs bountifully and liberally, Lord. Thank You for Your love which never forsakes us.

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