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)

“In the cross, in the cross,
 Be my glory ever;
 Till my raptured soul shall find
 Rest beyond the river.”
         –Fanny J. Crosby

Do you see yourself straying from the Cross?  I know that whenever that happens it should be a warning sign that we are either becoming complacent, compromising, or cold.  We should glory in the Cross, for that is our hope and our salvation.  Why do you think the world hates it so much?  It is the very antithesis of what the world stands for, practices and believes.  The world can handle pluralism and globalism, but give it the Cross and they shudder.  Then they sneer and snarl because the Cross reveals the evil in the hearts of men.  The Cross shows that man cannot be his own god, but is in desperate need of a Savior.

     “Jesus, keep me near the cross,
      There a precious fountain
      Free to all–a healing stream,
      Flow from Calv’ry’s mountain.”

I have been in the high Rockies and seen the streams flowing from the hillsides.  I have camped next to the snow where a stream begins and quickly moves from the babbling brook to rushing whitewater.  Put your hand in it, and it is so cold that it makes the flesh ache.  We used to drink from those streams but pollution has taken its toll.  However, the stream that flows from Calvary’s mountain will never become polluted.  It is always pure and cleansing.

     “Near the cross, a trembling soul,
      Love and mercy found me;
      There the Bright and Morning Star
      Sheds its beams around me.”

The world tries to draw attention away from the Cross.  There are lights and action that beckon man.  “Come join us in the fun!” they seem to say.  But they are false lights.  They burn out or break but the light that comes from the Cross will always shine and guide our way.  That is one reason why we cannot move away from the Cross; we need its light.  As we go through life, we must make our decisions in the light of the Cross; it must be our filtering system.

“But if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].”         –1 John 1:7 (AMP)