The Mountain of God

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me

I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there
To bring me back again

Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me

- The Mountain of God by Third Day

A friend of mine once asked "How do you get out of the valley?" It sparked a memory of when I lived in a valley - literally.

From 1976 until 1978, I lived in Pahrump Valley in Southern Nevada. Among Pahrump's claims to fame are: cotton, amazing wines, Art Bell, and it was the first place blown up in the movie "Mars Attacks!" Summers in Southern Nevada are hot. Though the temperature regularly tops 100°F, it's still more comfortable than the routine 90° with 95% humidity here in my new home. And, when the temperatures are high in early summer, you can drive up to the top of Mt. Charleston and, occasionally, cool down in snow. This is Mt. Charleston viewed from Pahrump.



During the summer months, when you are struggling with the heat, you take a break and go play in the snow. Now, this is not as easy as it seems. That mountain is quite a distance from you. It's 11,918 ft tall, and your elevation is about 2,800 feet. So, you have to climb 9,000 feet to get to the top of the mountain. Load up the 4x4 with food, make sure your spare (or two) is good, and pack a lunch. You're gonna be there for a while.

It takes a couple of hours to drive up the mountain. There are no roads. When you get there, you've got to spend some time in the snow. Then a couple hours to drive back. And you don't want to drive where there are no roads after dark. And night comes early in the valley.

Yeah, it's kinda like the Mountain of God. Your valley is where you live. You struggle and struggle to maintain some sort of sanity as life throws all kinds of curve balls at you. But, you look up on God's mountain, and there's snow. So, you prepare (study the Word), and get yourself ready for the journey. You pledge yourself to be God's worker in this world. You promise that you will head up that mountain whatever it takes. In my case, I lost my job. That was part of getting ready.

When you're prepared, you start climbing up that mountain. There's a lofty (literally!) goal ahead of you. You want to touch the face of God. And, one day, you will make it to the summit. It's going to be hard. Getting up that mountain is not easy. But when you meet God, it will all make sense.

I pray for each of you, as I do for my friend, that the journey up God's Mountain will be as painless as possible. I pray for peace as you struggle. Please pray for me, as well. The journey is difficult, but I know I'll see every one of you in the end.