Pitching Your Tent At The Top!

I wanted to end this week with a few more thoughts for you to consider concerning the high places.  Yesterday I mentioned the time when the still of our youth group camping retreat was broken by the sounds of dance music wafting up the mountainside.  I likened this to how the ways of the world can bring problems upon your mountaintop existence.  

This morning as I continued studying Habakkuk 3:19, my mind once again drifted off to the many times when we were hiking and finally reached the summit of Eureka Peak at Plumas Eureka State Park in northeastern California.  As I described before, the view looking down and then across the tree studded National Forest lands is indescribably beautiful.  The sight of the actual mountain top is not as pretty though.  At 7,447 feet there are still a few trees at the top, but their shape has been quite distorted by the wind and other elements that affect the mountain at that elevation.  Normally there are sporadic patches of snow that dot the peak throughout the summer.  And as I mentioned it can be very windy as all natural windbreaks disappear since this peak is one of the tallest in the area.  Lightning strikes can also be common at this height, hence the need for the various fire lookout towers that are visible for miles.

My point here is that being on the mountain top presents another set of factors that are not necessarily caused by the direct influence of the world.  To bring it all to a succinct point, the higher you go in elevation on a physical mountain, the less natural protection you have and  the more isolated you become.  In the spiritual sense, the same is true in that the higher you go the more you have to depend on God for everything!  The Apostolic Bible Polyglot’s Greek translation of the Old Testament seems to exhibit this fact a little more clearly in Habakkuk 3:19.  It says “The Lord is my power, and he will arrange my feet unto completion; and upon the high places he shall set me, for me to overcome by his ode.”  According to Strong’s that last phrase could also say to overcome by singing His word.  The word translated here as “power” means “force, specifically miraculous power.” (Strong’s G1411)  In the Hebrew the word used there is “strength” and means “a force, whether of men, means or other resources.” (Strong’s H2428)

The writer was emphasizing this point to the children of Israel as he prophesied the imminent Babylonian invasion upon their land.  He was foretelling of their need to have the Lord as their total sustenance in the midst of the horrific event.  And you know, that’s not a bad thing at all.  In fact it is probably the best position for any of us to find ourselves in.  A few nights ago, I was having a conversation with the Lord, and I mentioned that my wife and I have no other means to depend on for her life except for Him.  I didn’t utter that as a cry of despair, but as a matter of fact.  The only thing that we have to stand on is the SOLID foundation of the truth of His word.  The winds may blow and the waves may beat upon us, but we will come out of this storm safe and sound, whole and complete!

Like I have mentioned before, at this elevation on His mountaintop, there is nothing to distract us from anything that could pull our trust away from Him!  This has not been an easy hike, but I can’t think of any other place that I would rather pitch my tent but on the peak of His holy mountain!  How about you?  If you’re ready to rid yourself of time consuming distractions and detours, then look up and start climbing!  Have a great weekend.  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What Mountaintops am I expecting to Climb today”