Night closed down upon the canyon… He saw the fading red embers of his fire, the great looming pines, the black shadowy wall; he smelled the smoke and the tang of the forest; he heard the sound of the wind, the brawl of the brook, the wail of the coyotes.”
–Zane Grey (30,000 on the Hoof)
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.”
–Psalm 125:2 (NKJV)
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The water from the rushing stream was so cold that it made my hands ache. Upon following the stream to its source we found that it came directly from a large snow bank and further up the trail was a lake. Annie and I had camped just below timberline on a level portion in the wind blown trees. One thing about camping at timberline is that there is always plenty of wood to be found lying around.
The nights up there were cold, but it was cozy sitting around the campfire drinking coffee and just being in one another’s company. The moonlight shown brightly upon the stream as it splashed over rocks and the stars, my…one could never begin to count them. In the comfort of our sleeping bags we could hear the sound of the cascading water and below us the cries of marmots.
When morning came the sun shone brightly from the east upon our little camp. I started the fire, put the coffee on while Annie prepared breakfast of eggs and bacon. It was a time early in our lives when things were new. Now it is something to recall, to reflect upon and think of the goodness of God.
“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?”
–Psalm 121:1 (NASB)
Does our help come from the mountains? Be careful, think through this before answering. For sure it is not to the mountain that we pray. It is not the mountains in which we put our trust. However, mountains represent the government of God and when we are in need we look toward His abode and wait for Him to come sweeping down.
“My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.”
–Psalm 121:2-3 (NASB)
I heard a powerful sermon last Sunday regarding the mountains and valleys of life. They are continually in our life, more often than not we are in the valley, but we do have those times in the mountains. Listen and ponder this: “God explains Himself on the mountain; He exposes Himself in the valley.” God takes us up on a mountain, as He did Moses, to learn of Him. But we live in the valley. We cannot bear the storms of the high country; the majesty, power, and magnificence of it would overwhelm us and as we learn of God we hear Him say, get back to the valley and use what I have taught you. Remember that Peter, James, and John wanted to build tents and stay on the mountain, but Jesus said that there was work to be done down in the valley.
Use the lessons of God on the mountain as you live and work in the valley. God does not change. He is God whether on the mountain or the valley or the desert or the sea. Consider the following lyrics:
“For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night.”
–Bill & Gloria Gaither