Mountains
Pastor Joy
As a pastoral staff, we are reading through a book together. So far we have read two and are now on our third. This current book is titled If the Tomb is Empty, by Joby Martin. This book is a great discipleship book and also a great book for new believers. One specific theme that is reoccuring is about the different mountains that we see throughout scripture.
An excerpt from the book, If the Tomb is Empty:
"Generally speaking, when you look at mountains you see what they look like as having a high point that is surrounded by shorter peaks and valleys. It's a good picture of our lives. In between now and the day of Jesus' return, you and I will stand on mountaintops, valleys, and countless hillsides in between. We will know unmatched joy and unrivaled sorrow. I can't really tell you why. Only that we will. It seems like God demonstrates His glory on the mountaintop and His love and mercy in the valley. Maybe that's why it's only when we go up and down and up and down that we get a more complete picture of Him. We all love the peak, but the valley is usually not far behind. Plus, you can't stay on the mountaintop. Nobody can. They're small and there's no water. That's in the valley. So are all the people. Funny how that works. And as much as we yearn for the mountaintop, truth is we spend most of our time either coming down, hiking up, or in the valley between."
Genesis 22
Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. "Abraham!" God called. "Yes", he replied, "Here I am." "Take your son, your only son--yes Isaac, whom you love so much--and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you."
I have to be honest, I don't know what my answer would have looked like in Abraham's place. To be told to sacrifice one of my children. To be asked to give back to the Lord something He promised me, this would be the worst, hardest, and most difficult thing I could ever do. Yet God does ask these things of us. He wants our love and devotion to be on him rather than what is preventing us from going up and down those mountains. And we will have to go up and down, up and down until He returns. The ascent requires obedience, the mountaintop requires sacrifice, the descent requires praise, and the valleys require sanctification. Over and over. We will always have these mountains in our lives, as a constant reminder of who God is in our lives.
Pray with me.
God, use these mountains to transform us into your likeness. Redeem us, let all the old pass away, and change us by the power of your might. Let us be obedient as we walk this journey. Amen