From the Inside Out

From the backseat of my grandparents’ car, I strained to catch my first glimpse of the Smokey Mountains. The day before the three of us had left home in Aurora, Illinois and were on our way to Conyers, Georgia to visit friends of theirs.

(We traveled in style, in Grandpa’s 1950-something turquoise Studebaker.)

What an adventure for a six-year old.  Up until that time, I’d only visited one other state, neighboring Indiana.

Grandma had told me that mountains were like hills, only much, much taller. And instead of being a single mound (like the rise we sledded on in the wintertime), they were lined up one after another.

My imagination could hardly conjure a picture of such a phenomenon.

That second day of our trip, as we rounded the top of yet another hill in Tennessee, my straining paid off. Far in the distance we caught sight of mountain tops. Each rise thereafter afforded another spectacular view, always a bit closer to the peaks, and even more mesmerizing than the last. My breaths came in startled gasps. Never had I seen such magnificence…

…until, at age fifteen, when I traveled to Colorado for a week at Young Life’s Frontier Ranch. The soaring, steep cliffs of the Rockies dwarfed the more rounded Smokies.

Ah, but then came the semester-long, short-term missionary adventure in Quito, Ecuador, a city nestled in the Andes Mountains at 10,000 feet. Thirty miles to the south, Cotopaxi towers over the city, at 19,000 feet above sea level.  Again, my breath was taken away.

“Mountains are earth’s undying monuments,” said Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Indeed, they do stand tribute to their Maker, ancient testimonials to God’s awe-inspiring, creative power.

They also provide a meaningful metaphor, because certain adjectives we use to describe mountains, also describe Him:

• High

(“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” — Psalm 61:2)

• Firm

“God’s solid foundation

stands firm.”

–2 Timothy 2:19a

• Strong

(“O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies!

Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O LORD?

You are entirely faithful.” –Psalm 89:8, NLT)

• Immoveable

“I the Lord do not change.”

–Malachi 3:6a

• Eternal

(“The eternal God is your refuge.” — Deuteronomy 33:27a)

One of the psalmists, perhaps King Hezekiah, wrote:

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds his people

both now and forevermore.”

–Psalm 125:2

(Emphasis added)

Imagine yourself surrounded by high, strong and secure mountains.

Are they likely to crumble? No. Neither will your Almighty God fall to pieces, succumbing to the pressure of insurmountable problems.  It can’t happen!

Do mountains change with every passing breeze? No.  Neither can your Lord be shaken.

Are you easily accessible when surrounded by mountains? No. You are protected. Mountains can even act as barriers against stormy weather. Similarly God shelters you from the full brunt of the storms of life.

And what is your view from this protected valley? Your eyes are drawn upward toward peaks and sky, indicative of the appropriate response when we’re facing difficulty:

Look up to the Maker of mountains

and Provider of refuge.

His righteousness is like the mighty mountains.

He surrounds us with his favor and loving kindness,

encircles us in his everlasting arms of love,

and guards us by his providence on all sides.

Hallelujah!

(Psalm 36:6; Psalm 32:10; Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 32:7).

(Art & photo credits:  www.youtube.com; http://www.tripadvisor.com; http://www.gatlinburg.com; http://www.mountainlake.com; http://www.cotopaxinoticias.com; http://www.pinterest.com (3), http://www.wikipedia.org.)