These Mountains

When I was five I started a rock collection. I lived in Pleasant Grove, Utah, on the foothills of the "G" mountain. In the morning the sun did not "come up" till late in the morning because my mountain towered to the east, up to heaven, over my home. To me there is only one thing more gratifying to my sense of natural beauty than mountains or rocks; those positioned near water.

Thank heaven for the techtonics of the Rocky Mountain range, for making those sedimentary and metamorphic rocks unlike the almost invariant igneous rocks in the mountains where I live now. They flavored my imagination. The first rock that started my collection was an 8-inch by 4-inch slab of white mica, layers flaking off endlessly. Beautiful.

"In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills. and people will stream to it.
Many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we might walk in his paths.'" Micah 4:1-2

"But each one should be careful how he builds. For we are God's building...." 1 cor 3:10, 9

Our plans to explore the rocks and mountains near the Colorado River and Arches National Park in Utah, ended up being foiled. The place we had chosen to spend the night, Moab, had not a single vacancy because of the holiday. We had to push on.

The sun began to set, so I was reduced to seeing in dim light the most important place in my heart, to stop for. Now, I couldn't even see it from my car. The magnificent outlines faded away, and I was disappointed.

In Genesis 37 Joseph left home and traveled far north to the place where he was betrayed and sold as a slave by his brothers. His new owners possibly walked that same established route back south again on their destination to Egypt. Maybe they went right past Josephs' own home, or at least Joseph could guess where he was most close to home, his family's promised land. But he couldn't go in. Even for the rest of his life it was God's plan that he not ever call it home again.

I was walking back from the motel office by myself, in the dark, and after I asked God why we couldn't have found a way to see it, He made me think of Joseph, the man who waited on God for his dreams' fulfillment. I remembered how we had made tentative plans to meet Frodo the next day and considered how maybe God intervened to cover over a miscalculation on my part for how to make it there at the right time. What about God's glory? Not every mountain, a.k.a. every effort, will endure God's judgment:

"They said to each other, 'Let us build... a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we can make a name for ourselves...." Gen 11:4

"A voice of one calling, 'In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 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.'" Is 40:3-5

Was my agenda God's agenda? Okay, I said, and surrendered my disappointment to lose that opportunity to see those rocks by the river. As soon as I made that choice, the wind which had been indiscriminate, became strong and blew constant into my face as I finished the walk in the dark. I had the answer.

"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell." Ps 43:3

How will the one and only mountain of His glory be adorned? With stones that gratify the sense of beauty far greater than these.