God With UsSample

God With Us on the Mountaintop

Whether it’s getting a new job, beating cancer, surviving a horrible accident, getting a huge promotion, getting married, finally getting pregnant, discovering faith, we all experience mountaintop moments. 

Imagine you’re climbing a mountain. With each step your altitude increases, the oxygen decreases, your blood thins, your heart beats faster, and everything below you grows smaller. As your mind clears, you notice the once-towering tree that made you feel tiny at the trailhead is now a pinhead in a breathtaking view of valleys, rivers, hills, meadows, homes, roads, and distant communities full of people who can only see what’s right in front of them. Something inside you wants to sing, throw your fists in the air, shout, write, or respond to the power of what you see. Mountaintops do that. 

Mountains are a constant geographical fixture of some of God’s greatest stories in the Bible. Remember Moses and the burning bush? Mount Sinai. Moses and the Ten Commandments? Same mountain. Remember where Noah’s ark finally landed and he received God’s promise? Mount Ararat. How about when Abraham obeyed God with Isaac, and God provided a ram? Mount Moriah. Where Moses finally caught a glimpse of the Promised Land? Mount Nebo. Where Elijah proves God is the one true God? Mount Carmel. Then, there’s Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught us how to live. And finally, Golgotha, the hill where Jesus died. 

If God is with us on the mountaintop, what’s He up to? How can we respond? Here’s a quick, Bible-inspired list. 

God provokes our passion. When we’re weary or distracted, God exposes us to His majestic power and lights a fire in us to make His name known. We can respond with humble worship and courageous action. 

God verifies our vision. When we’re unsure of what to do next, God uses mountaintop experiences to show us the way. We can respond by boldly taking the next step to follow Him.

God forms our faith. God uses mountaintops as an opportunity to give us an aerial view of all He’s done for us. We can respond by sharing God’s goodness with others. 

God imparts His instruction. Along with new perspective, God will often give us instruction and correction. We can respond with repentance and obedience.

God provides what He promises. From Moses on Nebo, to Abraham on Moriah, and finally Jesus on Golgotha, God relentlessly and lavishly comes through for us. We can respond with our entire lives. 

Which mountaintop do you identify with? How will you respond?