It’s amazing what the sun looks like at 10,000 feet. Pristine rays emboldened by a soft morning mist give way to create stark shadows on the trail. The day is young and the slumbering mountain is slowly awakened by the songs of blue Jays, finch, and woodpeckers as their crescendo follows the rise of the blazon sun. Tiny woodchucks, squirrels and mice scurry about hastily gathering their rations while chattering their approval of another day yet to be. In the distance, the soft ripples of a babbling mountain brook challenges a cool faint breeze as it tickles a melody on the bows of towering alpine spruce. Their collective songs swell and collide to create a symphony of praise to their creator.
From my vantage point descriptions are futile, for none will capture the immensity of this moment. This space in time has afforded me a chance to see the fingerprint of my creator and journey beyond the bounds of space and time to a place where my spirit sores! And…I have a ticket to ride.
I bask in the sun as it slowly warms me from the coolness of the morning. I can’t help but wonder…why me? Why here? Why now? God…what do you want from me…to bring me to such a place and give me a proem of your depth? This feeling I have…this sense of your presence…are you so close? Am I so far away? Questions prompted by a flighty wayward wanderer…an inquest that brings a listening heart and an inspiring worshipper. Was I created for this…to walk in the coolness of the morning with my God? Does He long for me as I long for Him?
So…I sit. I am still. Not afraid of it. Not running from it. Not looking for things to fill my down time. I embrace it and I listen. My cell phone is off…my iPod is…I hope…in my backpack (although I have some really good stuff for a moment like this). No laptop, no email. No deadlines to meet, no meeting to make, no next thing to plan. Just me, the mountain, and God.
In my hand is a precious thing. Ancient words that have traversed time to find their way to this wayfarer. From the moment the first idiom was dictated, this book has endured the challenges of fire, persecution and destruction. The earliest of those who sought to translate its golden message for those of us today – found themselves faced with certain imprisonment or even death for their deeds. Yet this text thrives…flourishes…blossoms for the countless many who seek its fame. Misunderstood…yes! Discarded…yes! Discounted…yes! Embraced…oh yes! It has the power to transform not only the mind, but the ever imperative heart.
In my stillness, I open this book that breathes the very authority of God. How many countless millions have found their way to this book? How many paths lit by its wisdom and precepts? How far you’ve come to find me! How far I’d go to keep you!
And so…I seek the One who can be found. His majesty before me and His Word with me, I have all I need! King David capture it so well when he penned –
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
All flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8
Words from a pensive heart that searched for God. And that searching was rewarded with the very presence of the Holy One!
Sitting here in this awesome place – I can imagine the ponderings of David, the author of so many of the Psalms. What must it have been like to be the keeper of sheep – the lowly occupation reserved for the youngest of seven brothers? I’m sure many a night was spent under the stars, the only company being wooly lambs, pesky insects and an occasional hungry, yet overly ambitious carnivorous outlaw. Time could have been the enemy…the constant reminder of all that’s not…or yet to be! David could have spent away the hours dreaming of the moment he would break away – head to the city and make a name for himself. Meet the right girl…settle down…get the latest, best…and finally find fulfillment!
Why not? Isn’t that human nature…to long for more…to work hard and achieve the fame, the glitz…the glamour…the title? Or maybe just enough money to buy security, the right house, car…and perfect get-a-ways.
Or maybe we’ve bought a lie. Maybe the pursuit has numbed the spirit to the point of spiritual bankruptcy. Maybe our constant access to email, cell phones, and internet has us anchored to the ground when God indented us to soar…
I think David has a lesson for us…a lesson not for the station of the mind, but one that traverses the vast crevices of the heart. A prelude of the depth of God’s wonders that pierces to the very center of our being…our very soul… and births a sense of yearning that calls to our creator.
On that hillside sits a young shepherd. And no…his time is not wasted on the pursuit of all that could be. He lies on his back and drinks from the stars. In those stars…the vast universe…he sees God. In the breeze gently caressing his face…he hears His voice. Creation is but a prelude to the vastness of His majesty. Pen in hand – “O Lord our God, how majestic is your name…”
Deep calls to deep…and it’s time to dive! A toe in the water to check the conditions doesn’t work here!
So…I sit…and look…and listen. I’ve decided the pursuits of all this world has to offer is futile! In fact – the pessimism it breeds becomes as the writer of Ecclesiastes authored – “all is vanity”.
A yearning begins to flourish…a deep sense of longing…and peace. More…I want more! More of you!
This ticket to ride…this invitation was breathed into us all…by our creator. It’s the spark in a child’s eyes that dims all too quickly when the heights of adulthood are reached.
Whether the ticket is in hand, back pocket or offered up to the highest bidder this world has to offer – it’s still good, never expires, and opens up a world unlike any other.
Wanna ride? If so…let’s take a journey and weed out the lies…embrace the truth…and cast away the counterfeits.
Join me on the mountain…the view is out of this world!
