I Went To The Mountains

[Marie]

Recently while vacationing with my son and his family in his motor home… high up in the mountains…overlooking the Tennessee River, I experienced a sense of peace, tranquility, and a calm that all was well in my world.

My home, that I was blessed with…is a three story house, and it can be very hot without air-conditioning. Two of my units were stuck during the storm, and it rendered my home hot and muggy. While waiting for the claim to be approved, a vacation in the mountains was a welcome relief. It could not have come at a better time.

I envisioned relaxing in a lounge chair under the awning, and enjoying the cool, refreshing breeze that only high in the mountains can render. I could hardly wait to feel the wind blowing through the trees. Surprisingly, when I arrived it was unusually hot, humid, and muggy. The temperatures soared and before dusk, it had reached 100 degrees. Yet, we sat in our chairs, each in our own thoughts, and faced the mountains. It was quiet and serene with the sun hiding behind the trees, and the moon peeking its head out…lighting the campgrounds. Even the waters were tranquil; lazily pushing and straining against its banks, then flowing on to join small streams and huge rivers. The birds chirped and hopped occasionally from tree to tree. Giant black flies flitted from person to person, occasionally lighting on our unsuspecting skin. Cat fish played a game of catch me if you can, then cleverly dove under the waters. My grandchildren sat under the gazebo and quietly watched television. I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment …enjoying the silence. Nobody spoke and all was well. It was a time to pray, to meditate, to think and to ponder. As a pastor, it was my time to allow God to speak to me, and to fill my heart with visions for my people. It was time to look to the mountains.
Every once in a while, we as pastors, as ministers must go to the mountains. The mountains don’t have to be a literal hills, but it could be We must sit quietly and allow God to speak to us, and lead and guide us in His way.

I had a better understanding of the Psalmist who penned Psalm 121:1-2. He wrote, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”
This assures us of the hope, the help, and the protection that we have in Christ. Trouble my come, bills may pile up, and folks may slander our name; but we can rest knowing that we are safe in Jesus. We must realize that we are weak, but God is strong. He is our help. We can trust God for the victory. The good news is…we don’t have to rely on ourselves. We have a Father who cares and is willing to help us.

Let’s go to the New Testament to Mark 9:2-10. It state:


“After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.” (NIV)

We see the account of the transfiguration. Jesus took His disciples: Peter, James, and John to a high mountain. And there He was transfigured. His clothes became radiantly white, and Moses and Elijah came to talk to Him.

Moses and Elijah also had mountain experiences. Moses with Mount Sinai and Elijah on Mount Horeb.( The same mountain).

Exodus 34:28 says:

“And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” (KJV)

Exodus 24: 15-18:

“When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and 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. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” (NIV)

Elijah fled from his enemies and hid in a cave. I Kings 19: 8 reads, “And he (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” (KJV)

Elijah ran to the place where God met Moses and gave His laws to mankind. As Elijah lay in the cave…on the mountaintop, God spoke to him in a still small voice, (11-13), “
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (NIV)


God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice, and Elijah knew it was the Lord. We don’t have to be in a huge edifice to hear the voice of the Lord. He can speak to you where you are. He may be speaking to you in the quietness of your heart. He can speak to you in your home. He can speak to you in the mountains. It was quiet and serene in the mountains, shut away from the hustle and bustle of city living. It was a place where one could live, but we had work to do, and we had to come down.
Peter proposed building shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Apparently, he didn’t want to come down from the mountain. This is not uncommon. We, too had such a wonderful, peaceful time in the mountains that we wanted to anchor the motor home and stay for awhile longer. When God called us, He called us to work, not to be idle and lackadaisical. There are homeless to be fed and clothed; lost souls to share the Gospel with, and children and adults to be taught. We couldn’t live on the mountains. We had to face the valleys as well.
We must remember that as pastors, as ministers of the Gospel….the experiences we had in the mountain could be preparing us for bigger things. It’s time to come down from the mountain and go to work. We have a job to do…and now that we have been to the mountaintop, we should be ready to march forth in faith and victory.