The Mountains

 

 What is so significant about mountains? • Mountains signify God’s glory and his strength; they also represent the trials we face in this life. Psalm 121 lets us know to look up to the mountains, knowing that our help comes from the Lord who made heaven & earth. • The mountain top is also called a peak, so when we reach our peak, it gives us 2 choices: to either look down and be afraid of how far we’ve climbed, and turn back. Or to lift our hands in surrender and victory, to have a fresh new perspective of who God is. In 1 Kings 19:8-18, we see that Elijah was at his peak. He wanted to die; he told the Lord at Mount Horeb (the mountain) that he was zealous, but it still did not pay off; he felt like he was living in vain. As we all do at times, when we push and push, yet nothing happens. But what I have come to realize is that when you push, God pulls. (It is at the top of our mountains that the Lord speaks & instructs us.) The songwriter says, “My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise, and fears dismay, though some may dwell where those abound, my prayer, my aim, is higher ground. So, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. The purpose of each mountain is to have a different outlook on not just the circumstances we face currently, but all others in the past and those that stand in the future. It is to elevate our mindset to that of an overcomer, even though the mountain has not yet moved - it will. (Mark 11:23) says “ Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, Go throw yourself, into the sea, and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” When your mindset changes and you allow God to remove the scales from your eyes, you can see clearly. You can see the beauty of the mountain instead of the height of the mountain. Exodus 24:15-17 “When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, & the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days, the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day, the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. (17) “To the Israelites, the glory of the Lord LOOKED LIKE a consuming fire on top of the mountain.” If you have not made the sacrifice to climb the mountain, you will not be able to see or hear exactly what God has for you to do. Moses had a different perspective of the mountain than the Israelites did. He saw the glory of the Lord when he reached his peak. And was able to receive from the Lord, and be edified. But the Israelites grew impatient and lost hope because they were at the bottom. They had different viewpoints. If you look at an actual mountain, it can certainly seem daunting to think that people climb it. But when hikers climb these mountains, they have a mindset of accomplishment. Some have an aim to see life from a different perspective. Some climb it so that they can face their fears. And so, this is what our life’s mountains should teach us. To not look down or backwards in fear or intimidation, but to look ahead in expectation of what will be revealed to us when we reach the peak. Like the hikers often do, they sit and rest a little while, take a break and drink water. Even as Jesus travelled with his disciples, through different territories to perform miracles and preach the gospel, he rested. This was his mountain, being here on Earth and being about his Father's business. Sometimes, in life, we get weary, parched, exhausted, even. But the aim is to keep pushing & keep climbing. Because when you push, God pulls. Don’t allow that mountain to take your Hallelujah!