Ham - Devotions from the Mountains

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the L ORD . As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I SAIAH 55:89

T he mountains offer us a chance to see the world afresh. Whether we hike or drive, take a chairlift or snowmobile, we get away, breathe fresh air, and see the view. From high on a mountain, the world looks very different. We can see so much more. Roads dwindle into the distance, and cities look like toy models, if we can glimpse them at all. Faraway hills and peaks may take some work to identify as we see them from a new angle. The landscape stretches out before us, and we gain perspective. Breathing room. Our minds clear a bit. We get some distance, literally and figuratively, from all the things that stress us out. We are calmed. We breathe easier. Our nerves are soothed.

As stunning as that change of viewpoint is, its nothing at all compared to the difference between Gods thoughts and our thoughts. He sees everything, knows everything, understands everything. His thoughts and ways are unimaginably higher than ours. And He is love. Because we are secure in His love, we sometimes lose sight of how holy and awe-inspiring God is. Not that we can really comprehend how holy and awe-inspiring He is! But as much as our finite little minds can grasp... we forget even that limited understanding of Gods majesty.

Just as we often feel both humbled and exhilarated by the mountains, it is fitting to be humbled and exhilarated in Gods presence. We cannot comprehend His mind or His thoughts, and yet He kindly invites us to draw near. As it says in Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the L ORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Dear Father, You are my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Lord. I yield to You, and I worship You. Thank You for Your kindness. Please shepherd me through this day.

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.

M ATTHEW 14:23

D o you ever feel like your day is just too hectic to squeeze in time alone with God? We all have days like that, dont we? It turns out that even Jesus occasionally had to work at it to find time alone with His Father. For instance, Matthew 14 opens with the account of why John the Baptist was beheaded. Then Jesus fed the five thousand, and later He walked on water. Those are big events, and its easy to miss what Jesus did in between. He went looking for solitude in order to praytwice. The first time is in verse 13, when He had just heard about Johns death. However, the crowds heard that He had taken a boat to a solitary place, and they followed Him on foot.

Though most of us dont have crowds following us around, we do run into obstacles to our time alone with God. Texts, e-mails, and phone calls can reach us anywhere. Kids who usually cant be pried away from a screen suddenly need us right now. Our own minds light up like pinball machines, pinging from one concern to the next. How we need the quiet!

So how did Jesus respond when He saw the crowd waiting for Him on shore? He had compassion on them and healed their sick (v. 14), and then He fed them all. He might have been tired and disappointed; He may have been aching with grief for John the Baptist. But He was tenderhearted toward the people who needed Him.

Then He tried again. He sent the disciples ahead on the boat, and He dismissed the crowd. Then, finally, He had time by Himself on the mountainside to pray.

If Jesus, who is one with the Father (John 10:30), sought time alone with the Father, how much more do we need it! We may have to try and try again. Thats okay. God is still there, waiting to welcome us.

Dear Lord, thank You for all that we learn about You from Scripture. Please help me to respond with compassion when I am needed at inconvenient times. Help me to keep trying so that I find my time with You.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together... but encouraging one another.

H EBREWS 10:2425

P art of the fun of camping or backpacking is sharing the adventure with our companions: the misery of the grueling hike to the campsite, the mosquitoes that will not quit, the mysterious noise in the middle of the night that turns out to be just porcupines, not bears. All those not-too-fun moments become stories to laugh about later. Of course some moments truly are enjoyablea breathtaking view, butterflies weaving through wildflowers, a swim in a shockingly cold lake, fresh-caught fish, smores around the campfire. And there are shared projects: working together to put up the tent, to cook meals outdoors, to secure the food out of reach of those nosy bears, to break camp and clean up. For anyone who enjoys the outdoors, it can be a great bonding experience.