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Topic: Mountains (09/20/04)
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TITLE: Prayerful Peaks By Al Boyce 09/21/04 |
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Noah's ark rests on Mount Ararat. Moses receives the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Christ is tempted by Satan on one mountain and gives a famous sermon on another. Christ's transfiguration and His crucifixion occur on mountains.
And Jesus typically climbs mountains to pray.
I don't know where you are from, but where I come from climbing a mountain is no small deal. If it was easy, they'd call it "climbing a hill" -- know what I mean? And to top it off, Jesus asks us to pray continuously (Luke 18:1), to pray in the spirit (Eph 6:18) and to pray privately (Mat 6:6).
My muttered morning prayer -- whispered between bites of a bagel -- suddenly pales in comparison.
Seems like prayer in very important to God -- like VERY important. In our fallen world, worship is -- if you'll pardon the pun -- para-MOUNT.
Remember the story of Moses standing on a mountain with his hands raised to God, helping the Israelites (a bunch of dislocated bricklayers) defeat the mighty Amalekites? When his hands grew weary and fell to his sides, the tide turned for the Amalekites. So his lieutenants propped up his arms until the battle was over.
Imagine what might happen to each of us if we prayed every day instead of once a week; if we prayed on our knees instead of in our cars; if we prayed for God's will instead of our wants.
Prayer has the awesome power to, well, move mountains. Why do we so often relegate it to moving our own agendas?
God clearly put all those mountains here for a reason. And we need to remember they won't be here forever.
Take a look at Isaiah 40:4-5 --
"Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Have we been listening?