"When I climb down the mountain ... and get back to my life, I won't settle for ordinary things. Gonna follow You forever, for all of my days ... and I won't rest, till I see you again! Show me your glory!"Cool lyrics from a song I dig from Third Day called 'Show Me Your Glory.'
That was our experience on the mountain yesterday ...
We drove close to the summit of Mount Lemmon, parked at Marshal Gulch, grabbed water and Bibles, and hiked to a solitary place and there prayed. Smelling pine needles, fresh, cool mountain air, hearing water glissading down rock escardments, seeing the granduer of mountain valleys, feeling the rugged, raw beauty of undisturbed terrain, touching hard, cold rock bluffs, viewing the city of Tucson in the vast distance, and sensing the presence of God within and around us ... there we met Him and there we set ourselves and this new journey apart to and for Him and His renown.I chose a sunny rock escardment jetting out into the mountain valley with a sheer 100' drop to connect with God. I sat a foot from the edge, overlooking the valley - and the ground - and poured my soul out to God. This location is a great spiritual analogy for the journey we're on: exposed and vulnerable in the raw elements, in the light of God's presence and care, on the edge of a risky journey, at the beginning of a new trajectory.
Are we afraid? Yes, more than ever. Are we confident in God's presence? Yes, more than ever. Are we ready to begin the 'gathering'? Yes, and we're on the ground running.
As I sat communing with God on the escardment's edge, I felt lots of things, among them a calmness, that I was resting in God's care. A confidence, that I have God's Spirit within me. An eager expectation, that God is about to do great things. An abiding sense of being loved, that God accepts and loves us. A strong belief, that God will use us to introduce others to Him.
During this time of drawing near to God - reading Scripture, praying, confessing, expressing hopes and longing, making requests, and enjoying Him - I sat quiet to make space to hear from Him freshly. While relishing the solitude, I saw an eagle soaring over the valley just a few hundred yards away. I thought of Isaiah 40:27-31, especially verse 31: "But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles. They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind." God reminded me of how our journey to love and serve people has been characterized by 'waiting.'
This object lesson on the mountain is especially meaningful to us. In 2003, as we were driving to Tucson, AZ to serve Bethel Church, with my Harley in tow, the engine in our truck totally seized up; we broke down in El Paso, IL and were stranded there for a week while a Ford Dealership rebuilt our GMC engine. And there God began to teach us the importance of waiting on Him. There we learned that 'waiting on Him' is synonomous with 'depending on and trusting in Him'.
I felt my heart well up with emotion as I watched that eagle soar over the mountain canyons and ravines. God drew my attention to Isaiah 57:15 "I live in the high and holy places, but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed, and what I do is put a new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again."
That is what God did for me n Liz on the mountain yesterday. We have a new spirit in us. He got us up and on our feet again. We feel revived, refreshed, and ready to follow Him freshly.
Here the tune again:
"When we climb down the mountain ... and get back to our lives, we won't settle for ordinary things. Gonna follow You forever, for all of our days ... and we won't ever be the same! Show me your glory!"
Learn from this, dear reader, that though God's delays are trying to flesh and blood, nevertheless they are ordered by perfect wisdom and infinite love.
ReplyDelete"For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come."
As for you guys, Jim and Liz the time has come but in the midst of despair and trying times remember James 1: 2-4:
My friends, consider yourself fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. And make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without falter, so that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing."
Bottom line...facing giants in this life can be the scariest most frightening and intimidating thing of all. A few things I've learned thus far is that sometimes you just gotta stare up at them put your head down and press on one step at a time no matter how small that step may be you just keep going. Tired, cold, wet, hungry, as if the life is drained out of you. But then you look up at the sky and ask for strength from the very One who endured it all for you, so he could be with you, and reside within you. Those are the moments in life that define God's beauty, and you can never experience that without putting yourself out there...for Him. Without any sacrifice there would be no true victory. Nobody is perfect, you're going to struggle at times but that's why giving your best is honorable. And God admires honor.
"Good things come through grit and hard work, and all things worthwhile have a cost." Bear Grylls
Jim and Liz, God wouldn't have placed this task in front of you if he knew you weren't capable. And just because you're capable doesn't mean its going to be easy but sometimes God's plan isn't but nevertheless he believes in you, the God of the universe believes in you. Now that is an encouraging thought isn't it.