Ponder:
“…and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had abated; and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” (Genesis 8:3-4, NRSV)
In the sea of turmoil and turbulence there seems to be no rest. We see the devastation that floods bring (look at the Baton Rouge area), and this is a trickling stream compared to that great flood in the time of Noah. Imagine being in that ark. They were safe and secure, but I wonder if there was rest. Then finally, on the mountain, there came rest.
I have been on the mountains, and they can at times be daunting. But I also know the calm and rest they can bring.
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Ponder:
“He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.” (1 Kings 19:11-12, NRSV)
How about that; go stand on the mountain. Then there were storms, earthquakes, fire, and there was nothing in any of those from the Lord. Elijah was waiting, but nothing. Go to the mountain, and wait, listen for the Lord, especially in the silence.
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Ponder:
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
With all of the grandeur and majesty of God’s creation it is simply matter. Matter doesn’t have a soul and it cannot develop a relationship with God or with man.
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“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.” Ephesians 2:14-15
“Peace treaties between whites and Indians failed repeatedly. But it wasn’t just treaties of the old west that men broke. From 1500 B.C. to A.D. 850, some 7,500 ‘eternal covenants’ were signed among various nations. None lasted longer than two years!” (Win Run: Trail Ride)