During my trip out west to Colorado last October, climbing trails in the Rocky Mountains and taking in the spectacular views, the Lord began ministering to me about one of life's greatest themes.
In our walk with the Lord, there are uphill climbs and downhill slopes, there are majestic mountain top views and dark valleys below, there are scorching deserts and frigid tundras, vast wildernesses and luscious meadows, rivers wide and oceans deep.
And remember what God said after He created each awe-invoking landscape?
It. is. good.
Although it may not always feel like it, each location is beautiful in its own unique way.... and you usually don't set up camp in any of those places long before He moves you onto the next adventure... more strenuous and faith-testing than the previous.
That's life.
Standing on the highest point accessible via vehicle in Rocky Mountain National Park, you could see the nearness of other mountaintops and miles beyond. It's stunning, but also several degrees cooler with wind gusts that could knock you off your feet. And that was in October... I don't want to imagine what it's like now.
Way up there, in the "tundra," very few plants can grow and even fewer animals can thrive.
Essentially, I learned that mountain tops, though exquisite, are not a place to establish residency. Peter thought differently when he offered to build tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah on the mount... but more on that later.
One of the hikes my sister and I braved while in Colorado was the "Hanging Lake Trail." We were told we HAD to attempt this one because of the natural wonder that rested just 1.7 miles straight up a 1065 foot incline... for real, people.
Sound familiar?
Just when you think a situation couldn't get any more difficult, it does. You turn a corner, hoping you've arrived, only to see... there's no end in sight.
Am I right or am I right?
In our scenario, less than half-way up our climb, we had one of two options... we could either give up and turn back, or take a water break and forge on.
We were overtaken by some and we passed by others. We were also greeted and encouraged by fellow hikers on their way back down... all telling us, "it's gonna be worth it!"
And was it ever...
The views were UNREAL!
Forsaking my mild fear of heights and pressing on towards the goal, we emerged from the last steep climb to these sights and wonders. It was all completely hidden from our sight until we took those last steps that brought us to our destination.
One thing is for sure... there's more momentum on the downhill. You certainly don't want to rush the descent or you'll wind up with scraped knees! (then again, my sister can tell you about a nasty fall she made climbing up... it goes both ways)
Depending on how high your mountain was, you begin to encounter life and vegetation once more. The trees become thicker and the view becomes obstructed. But you cling to that vision and experience, forging onward.
A few months ago, as I shared this theme of mountain tops and valleys God had been using to minister to me, a wise friend of mine shed more light and broadened my understanding of Jesus' transfiguration on the mount.
For those who may not be familiar with this story, you can read it in its entirety in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9, but here's the gist...
Disciples Peter, John, and James followed Jesus up a mountain. While Jesus was praying, He was transfigured in brilliant light before them, and Moses and Elijah came to talk with Him.
No big deal... for real!?
Naturally, Peter in his excitement exclaimed that he would build a dwelling place for each of the three men. But before he even realized what he was saying, the Shekinah glory of God descended upon them, shutting Peter up, and spoke, saying "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!" ... I'm sure if any of the disciples were in need of a restroom, they weren't anymore.
The cloud lifted, Moses and Elijah departed, and there was only Jesus before them. The accounts in Matthew and Mark say that Jesus told them not to speak of what they saw until the Son of Man was risen from the dead so, you can imagine their confusion but overall joy and awe of what they just witnessed.
Peter, John, and James certainly received vision up on that mountain, but they couldn't fully appreciate or understand it until they took it back down into the valley and witnessed the life, death, and resurrection of their Rabbi in the days that followed... and look at all the Spirit has done through the sharing of their testimony!
As I coupled what God had revealed to me about the inhabitable conditions of the Rocky Mountain tops with my friend's illustration of our need to carry our transfigured moments down into the valley, I suddenly found peace. It is never God's intention for us to remain on the mountain. The three disciples were given a glimpse into the coming glory of the Son of Man, a vision they were to carry down the mountain and share when the going gets tough... and it got tough.
I have to wonder... if Moses, being literally and radiantly transformed by communing with God on Mount Sinai, wore a veil over his face as to not frighten the Israelites (Exodus 34:29-35), how much more did Peter, James, and John's faces shine as they came down that mountain?
And how much more were we made to shine? We ARE the light of the world through Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16). The darker the valley, the brighter He shines.
Navigating through these last 5 months, I believe I've finally hit the valley below. I still carry what the Lord revealed to me on the mount, but you know... now there's a new mountain on the horizon. I can't quite make it out nor do I know how long this journey will take....I'm also betting it won't be easy.... but I know who goes before me and who stands behind.
What path has God set before you?
Will you join me in this journey of pursuing God? It no longer matters where we're going- be it down into the darkest of valleys or up the highest of peaks- as long as He goes before and hems us behind.
Besides, isn't it the journey, not the destination, God is most interested in?
Onward Christian soldiers!
In our walk with the Lord, there are uphill climbs and downhill slopes, there are majestic mountain top views and dark valleys below, there are scorching deserts and frigid tundras, vast wildernesses and luscious meadows, rivers wide and oceans deep.
And remember what God said after He created each awe-invoking landscape?
It. is. good.
Although it may not always feel like it, each location is beautiful in its own unique way.... and you usually don't set up camp in any of those places long before He moves you onto the next adventure... more strenuous and faith-testing than the previous.
That's life.
But I have to say, there's something about the grandeur of nature where one has no other choice but to be humbled before our Lord and Creator.
It was only natural the Lord would situate me on a literal mountain top as He ministered to me about the last few years of my walk with Him, the significance of the uphill battle, and the vision beheld at the top.
Standing on the highest point accessible via vehicle in Rocky Mountain National Park, you could see the nearness of other mountaintops and miles beyond. It's stunning, but also several degrees cooler with wind gusts that could knock you off your feet. And that was in October... I don't want to imagine what it's like now.
And to think, just days before my feet were planted by the ocean!
Way up there, in the "tundra," very few plants can grow and even fewer animals can thrive.
Essentially, I learned that mountain tops, though exquisite, are not a place to establish residency. Peter thought differently when he offered to build tents for Jesus and Moses and Elijah on the mount... but more on that later.
It can take hours, days, weeks, and even months to climb any given mountain in the world. Greater than that, it can take years of physical training before one is even fit to climb. And for what?
Ohhh... only the thrill of adventure and a momentary view that will leave you breathless for years to come and yearning for more... That's all.
We be crazy
The terrain was rocky and the trail was hardly visible at times. If you weren't taking notice to every step, you'd eventually stumble and fall. And signs abounded saying "stay on switchbacks"... translation, no shortcuts allowed.
You begin to whine, "are we there yet?," as you come upon the half-mile marker and start believing that Coloradans are a new breed of insane.
Sound familiar?
Just when you think a situation couldn't get any more difficult, it does. You turn a corner, hoping you've arrived, only to see... there's no end in sight.
Am I right or am I right?
In our scenario, less than half-way up our climb, we had one of two options... we could either give up and turn back, or take a water break and forge on.
We were overtaken by some and we passed by others. We were also greeted and encouraged by fellow hikers on their way back down... all telling us, "it's gonna be worth it!"
And was it ever...
And to think we could have missed this!
The views were UNREAL!
Forsaking my mild fear of heights and pressing on towards the goal, we emerged from the last steep climb to these sights and wonders. It was all completely hidden from our sight until we took those last steps that brought us to our destination.
The upward "climb" forged over the last 4 years was just as brutal. Of course, God moved in extraordinary ways during my time in the DR, but there were things I experienced there that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. There was heartache and confusion, anger, hurt, sadness, and loneliness at given points along the journey.
In so many ways, I was led into the wilderness to learn what it means to come up leaning on my Beloved (Song of Solomon 8:5).
And you know what?
It was worth it all.
I wouldn't trade any of it as it drew me closer to my Beloved than I could have ever imagined. The vision I beheld of God's faithfulness and power and words have sustained me in the darkest of valleys... and is doing just that in this season of waiting.
Before I moved back to the states, the Lord told me, very clearly, that I would be coming back down the mountain and into the valley. I could literally feel a drop in the pit of my stomach..."Do I have to go down there?" ... yet I know the sound of my Shepherd's voice, and where He leads, I follow.
It only seems fitting that He would reveal this truth in the spiritual as He unfolded it in the natural.
The law of gravity still applies... what goes up, must come down!
In so many ways, I was led into the wilderness to learn what it means to come up leaning on my Beloved (Song of Solomon 8:5).
And you know what?
It was worth it all.
I wouldn't trade any of it as it drew me closer to my Beloved than I could have ever imagined. The vision I beheld of God's faithfulness and power and words have sustained me in the darkest of valleys... and is doing just that in this season of waiting.
Before I moved back to the states, the Lord told me, very clearly, that I would be coming back down the mountain and into the valley. I could literally feel a drop in the pit of my stomach..."Do I have to go down there?" ... yet I know the sound of my Shepherd's voice, and where He leads, I follow.
It only seems fitting that He would reveal this truth in the spiritual as He unfolded it in the natural.
The law of gravity still applies... what goes up, must come down!
One thing is for sure... there's more momentum on the downhill. You certainly don't want to rush the descent or you'll wind up with scraped knees! (then again, my sister can tell you about a nasty fall she made climbing up... it goes both ways)
Depending on how high your mountain was, you begin to encounter life and vegetation once more. The trees become thicker and the view becomes obstructed. But you cling to that vision and experience, forging onward.
A few months ago, as I shared this theme of mountain tops and valleys God had been using to minister to me, a wise friend of mine shed more light and broadened my understanding of Jesus' transfiguration on the mount.
For those who may not be familiar with this story, you can read it in its entirety in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9, but here's the gist...
Disciples Peter, John, and James followed Jesus up a mountain. While Jesus was praying, He was transfigured in brilliant light before them, and Moses and Elijah came to talk with Him.
No big deal... for real!?
Naturally, Peter in his excitement exclaimed that he would build a dwelling place for each of the three men. But before he even realized what he was saying, the Shekinah glory of God descended upon them, shutting Peter up, and spoke, saying "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!" ... I'm sure if any of the disciples were in need of a restroom, they weren't anymore.
The cloud lifted, Moses and Elijah departed, and there was only Jesus before them. The accounts in Matthew and Mark say that Jesus told them not to speak of what they saw until the Son of Man was risen from the dead so, you can imagine their confusion but overall joy and awe of what they just witnessed.
Peter, John, and James certainly received vision up on that mountain, but they couldn't fully appreciate or understand it until they took it back down into the valley and witnessed the life, death, and resurrection of their Rabbi in the days that followed... and look at all the Spirit has done through the sharing of their testimony!
As I coupled what God had revealed to me about the inhabitable conditions of the Rocky Mountain tops with my friend's illustration of our need to carry our transfigured moments down into the valley, I suddenly found peace. It is never God's intention for us to remain on the mountain. The three disciples were given a glimpse into the coming glory of the Son of Man, a vision they were to carry down the mountain and share when the going gets tough... and it got tough.
I have to wonder... if Moses, being literally and radiantly transformed by communing with God on Mount Sinai, wore a veil over his face as to not frighten the Israelites (Exodus 34:29-35), how much more did Peter, James, and John's faces shine as they came down that mountain?
And how much more were we made to shine? We ARE the light of the world through Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16). The darker the valley, the brighter He shines.
Navigating through these last 5 months, I believe I've finally hit the valley below. I still carry what the Lord revealed to me on the mount, but you know... now there's a new mountain on the horizon. I can't quite make it out nor do I know how long this journey will take....I'm also betting it won't be easy.... but I know who goes before me and who stands behind.
What path has God set before you?
Will you join me in this journey of pursuing God? It no longer matters where we're going- be it down into the darkest of valleys or up the highest of peaks- as long as He goes before and hems us behind.
Besides, isn't it the journey, not the destination, God is most interested in?
Onward Christian soldiers!
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