Climbing To God’s High Place
As is my habit, I woke in the morning and asked God what He wanted me to do. I was staying outside of Eli, Nevada, and on that particular morning, my heavenly Father said, “Get into your truck and drive.” That morning my wife was with me and so we piled into our small 4 x 4 and started off.
The Holy Spirit told me which turns to take as we drove into the wilderness via smaller and smaller roads eventually coming to a trails head. In front of us loomed a very large mountain that rose high above the flat plain. My wife and I left the vehicle and started hiking on a trail winding up the mountain, as the Holy Spirit led.
In the low places, the path is always well-traveled
At first, the trail was smooth and well-traveled. Being relatively flat, it was easy-going. The warm morning sang with birds and insects. After about an hour, I noticed that the trail became strewn with stones and the going became more difficult, though the path was still easily traveled.
After another hour, our trail became many smaller trails making us pick our way around and through natural obstructions and barriers. We both slowed down as the grade steepened and began to huff and putt a bit, stopping regularly to catch our breath.
Finally, the plain below us came into better view, stretching out before us in all directions in a striking 360-degree panorama. Features that we could not see before were now easy to see. At the same time, the mountain before us seemed to have grown larger and our ascent was becoming harder with every step we took.
The trail disappears
Abruptly, even the faint path disappeared on bare rock forcing my wife and I t find our own way forward. Climbing became very difficult and each step forced greater and greater exertion on our aching muscles.
All of sudden, we met the trail’s end at the base of a rock wall. Exhausted, my wife sat down as I studied our newest obstacle. Personally, I felt the Holy Spirit goading me onward. Though I had some rock climbing experience, I knew that my wife could not follow where I must go.
Having been some time since I had done any real rock climbing, I felt a chill run down my spine as I put my right hand on the stone face. Going slowly, I placed each hand and foot carefully so that I did not slip. If I fell, there were no ropes to catch me. At the very least, a few broken bones awaited my slightest miscalculation (note to self: never climb in tennis shoes again.)
God’s high place
One hand here, another foot there, inch by inch, higher and higher I climbed. After about 50 feet I crested a ledge and sat down to rest. Looking over the valley below I could see everything now quite nicely. From my new perspective, I could see everything below for miles around me, most of which could not be seen from the valley floor. It was quite a beautiful view.
As I stood up, I called down to my wife that I was OK. Turning, I saw that the ledge I stood upon ran back into a small opening in the mountain. As I approach the black mouth of that small fissure, I saw that it was a cave that dropped down inside the rock face. Looking at it I felt a sudden anxiety. I wondered briefly if God wanted me to go down into that foreboding opening. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit did not goad me to do that and it was a good thing too because I lacked anything necessary to safely descend into that crevasse.
The better part of a day was gone and I felt that my wife was probably getting restless. Gingerly I slipped over the edge and worked my way back down to her. I told her in detail what I saw as we walked down the mountain.
An object lesson
I know that my little hike up to God’s high place was an object lesson from my Lord. You see, when you first start following the Holy Spirit, the path before you is plain because so many people have traveled that way before you. As God leads you higher, the path becomes less distinct, forcing you to avoid obstacles in your path. Finally, the path disappears altogether and you must find your own way simply by listening to the Holy Spirit.
At every step, as you look down into the valley of this world, you enjoy a different perspective. What was obscure or unknowable before now comes into plain view. Each step up the mountain of God is progressively harder and you work more and more to gain less and less. Eventually, you come to a place where only you can go and others, whom you have traveled with for a long time, must stay behind and wait.
Some who have the skills and are led, climb to God’s high place, risking real personal danger. One small mistake and they could fall and hurt themselves or even worse. At that time their progress becomes very slow and deliberate because they must concentrate on what they are doing, blocking out all distractions.
Go the distance to God’s high place
For those who will go the distance, there is a high place in God and rest for your soul. From there you can see practically everything. What was once hidden below is made plain to see from your new vantage point. From God’s perspective, you can see where everything lays in relation to everything else.
Understanding God is not a matter of intelligence but rather a function of perspective, i.e. God’s perspective. We all have the ability to see but sometimes we are not in a “position” to see. This is why, when God calls, we must make the journey up His mountain.
It is important for all of us to seek God’s high place. The path may not always be perfect and it may even disappear, but at that point, we must simply trust and do our best to move forward. Sometimes, there may even be danger, but for those who have the courage and ability, the view from God’s high places is well worth the effort. Besides, people are depending on us to tell them what we have seen in the high places of God.
You know this thread reminds me of a picture I had 2 or 3 months ago, different analogy, but similar message just slightly different, my perspective!…
Something someone said had me thinking to… let Jesus in the door with it fully open to then allow Him to be the one closing it. As one door closes another opens. The door being fully opened and not partially was important.
Then I had a picture of a stereotypical ‘stairways to heaven’ the onwards n upwards thing. Going up this stairs were doors every so often that are closed, that when you got to them, you had to stop. Take a rest, take in and digest what had learnt, and to be still and ‘know who is Lord’! Once rested the door is open wide, refreshed to go on upwards to the next one, and so on until you reach the top! Even though these doors are closed on the way, you know that light is at the top of those stairs, or the light at the end of the tunnel, or the vista from top of the mountain. The stopping at the doors is only the equivalent of tapping in the rock pegs making them sturdy, they aint going nowhere, that lesson is learnt, its convicted. Nothing gonna knock that outta the rock! that Truth has been well burnt onto your heart by the Holy Spirit, arsenal added against the enemy, onwards and upwards!
We find it hard stopping sometimes always expecting to be moving upwards, but without stopping, we don’t rest. Once we learn to do that, to rest in Jesus, we then can do all things through Him who strengthens us.
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Psalm 147:11 the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
The stopping to rest in Jesus, could be maybe also stopping to think on the hope you have in Him…the faith, hope and love…to do this is to trust.
Made Alive in Christ scripture is what this really had me thinking of too…Ephesians 2… 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
This scripture shows how you are raised up NOW, warts and all, even when dead in our trespasses. We are made ALIVE, not spiritually dead, with Christ…His Grace is sufficient for me.
You are seated with Him NOW in heavenly places, that is NOW, not just a after physical death thing.
By Grace you have been (already happened, nothing to earn here) saved….through faith.
Faith, hope and love.
So the kingdom of God is upon you, is nigh, is now.
Is just at the top of the mountain, end of tunnel, top of the stairs…you see it, you know it is there.
That faith, hope and love should include trust on the end of it. Has me thinking of those ‘trust’ things groups have you doing. Like the lean backwards and fall and ‘trust’ the people gonna catch ya! only difference being in this, you are putting your trust in God, and when God is in someone and you see that, you put your trust in them, this is how the body of Christ unites and builds one another up. We all need a hand up sometimes. Lest pride comes before a fall.
Dear Kingdomsheir,
Thanks for sharing those thoughts. I was wondering. Were those visions or just pictures that God put into your mind. If they were visions I would encourage you to call them that.
Yes, you are quite right, we need to take things a few steps at a time and acclimatize to where we are in God. After that, we can journey further. We just move when He’s moving and stay when He says.
God bless!
Michael