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Topic: Mountains (09/20/04)
TITLE: View From the Mountaintop By Rita Garcia 09/25/04 |
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By: Rita Garcia
I breathe in the pure stress free air, and breathe out a sigh of relief. I value the vantage point from the mountain top, because I know the price I paid to climb this mountain. I know the failed attempts, the times of discouragement when I first came face to face with my mountain. I could not go around, there was no way I could tunnel through, and the mountain was certainly too high to go over. Was this it then, time to just throw in the towel, and give up?
I can still recall a morning, a few years ago, so vividly it seems like it was just yesterday.
As I laid in bed, mentally organizing my day, the Lord impressed on me to spend the day fasting and praying. I got up and began my morning, as I was going down stairs, He impressed upon me once again to spend the day fasting and praying. As I entered into a time of fasting and prayer I was not getting a clear picture of what I was to pray about.
Around two o’clock that afternoon my phone rang, it was my daughter, Debbie. I will never forget the sound of her voice or the haunting words she told me, “Mom, the doctor says I have cancer.” I told her we were on our way.
I had run face first into a mountain of solid rock. I could hardly speak as I told my husband. I was having a difficult time comprehending that this was real, I wanted to wake up and find out it was a bad dream.
We sat with her on her couch and held her. We cried together, we listened has she poured out her heart to us. “What about my little boys?”
“Sweetheart, you’re going to beat this thing.” Her father comforted her, then he told us it was time to pray. We held her and prayed with her, praying God’s Word over her. “God has heard our prayers, you are going to be fine.” Her father reassured her.
As we drove home several hours later my husband reaching for my hand told me, “Sweetheart, this is in God’s hands, as we prayed I felt His touch on our little girl.”
How I longed to embrace those words.
Family and friends, gathered at Debbie’s home. I spoke about the miraculous healings Jesus had performed. I quoted the scripture that tells us we are healed by His stripes. Then we join hands and prayed, we prayed over each person in the circle. Many praise reports came from our meeting that evening. I felt like we had begun our climb up the mountain.
I went with our daughter to her doctor visits. On one particular visit, I listen as the Doctor told us she believed the cancer was a stage three. When there are four stages, it’s not good. I slid back down the mountain. I hit the ground hard, I laid in a heap crying out to God.
We waited while she was in surgery. The doctor finally came out and told us, “It looks as if we got it all. We will be running more tests, but the prognosis looks good.”
We were on our way back up the mountain. Debbie had more tests, all the results were good. She did not need Chemotherapy, after all. Almost, unheard of with a stage three cancer. She had to go through tests every three months, each time the result came back good. It’s been over five years and I am thankful to say our daughter is still cancer free.
I now know why God impressed upon me to fast and pray that morning, it was to give me spiritual strength to make the journey I was about to embark on. Just as mountain climbers carry all the proper equipment with them, we also need the right equipment to climb the mountains that life brings our way. Some we will see looming in front of us, while others will take us by surprise. God will take us through the valleys, He will be with us through the desert, and He will also help us climb every mountain. I have certainly been faced with mountains where the outcome was not what I wanted. I have learned, whatever the outcome of the crises we face, He will be with us with us each step, and we will see the view from the mountaintop.