The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Exodus 19:20
Did you catch that?
The Lord came down to the top of the mountain. God called him...and Moses went up to the top of the mountain.
We probably all have the dad or grandfather who told us about his hardship in life as he was growing up..."You think you have it hard…try walking back-and-forth to school every day through the snow FIVE miles uphill BOTH ways!"
I've never climbed a literal mountain...unless you count walking the steep fairway of the 27th hole on a 90° day while golfing as a kid. Lol. It sure felt like a mountain!
But I have watched from afar, the actual climbs my friends, Daren Falter, Chris Medina, and Ricky Fountain did at Mount Adams and Mount Rainier, and I am flabbergasted. Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. The physical and mental strength required to complete the feat doesn't happen overnight. It takes months of training physically, and years of training mentally. They say the desire to quit can overtake you in a moment. I can't imagine.
What I CAN imagine and HAVE experienced personally, are the mountains we climb in life.
- Overwhelming debt
- Poor health
- Loss of jobs
- Death of a loved one
- ...the list goes on and on...
Maybe Forest Gump said it best, "Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get." I've seen highs and I've seen lows in all these areas. One thing I know for sure as I look back - I would truly not appreciate the heights of joy, if I had not first experienced the depths of sorrow.
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)
This prayer from one of my favorite pastors, can speak for all of us: "Lord God, I trust You, and I’m going to wait for Your timing. I need peace without resolution. The end isn’t in sight, God, and I need rest during this season of hardship. My resources aren’t sufficient, my wisdom can’t plot a way out, and my ingenuity can’t remove the pressure. But You know all about that. You saw it coming, chose to allow it, and promise to use it for my good. I want my thoughts to reflect a greater confidence in You. Forgive me for the times I’ve strived to do too much, and forgive me for the times I’ve worried and doubted You. Teach me to trust and wait. You know when, God. I choose to trust You and wait for You to act. Please give me rest and peace, in the name of Jesus, “for he himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14a), amen."
Wherever you are, put your trust in Creator God who gives and takes away. He allows hardships to come into our lives because of the person it causes us to become in the process. Someone once told me that when you look at the back of a knitting or crochet project, it looks like a mess. But when you flip it over, the beauty can take your breath away. That's life. When you look at yourself "in the process", it looks and feels like a mess. But when you're finally through the refiners fire, you're perfect and complete, lacking nothing - beautiful.
We serve a God who is calling us to the top of the mountain.
Let's start climbing.