Of God and Mountains

I will always remember the time I had the privilege of flying over the Rocky Mountains after taking off from Vancouver airport. It was a beautiful summer’s day with the sun shining brightly as the airplane banked over the ocean and headed east towards the snow-peaked mountains that run along the B.C. coast. How awed I was by the sight of those mountains, and how insignificant were my problems that day – indeed, how small they were in the presence of such magnificence. The writer of Psalm 121 must have understood this when he wrote, “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (vv. 1,2, NIV).

It is not too difficult to believe that God is able to help us in any and all situations when He is introduced to us as “the Maker of heaven and earth.” Nor is it hard to believe that we will get through life’s difficulties when we take the time to contemplate mountains, and oceans, and vast stretches of beautiful landscape that have been molded by the very hands of God. At such times, we find ourselves lifted to a height where the problems of life seem to pale in comparison to the beauty of creation. Norman Vincent Peale wrote about this in his fine little book entitled Faith is the Answer. He pointed out that in order “to get away from our little, agitated, ego-centered minds,” we need to “see life from a great height.” “Cast your gaze up,” Dr. Peale wrote, “away from yourself up to God and then go forward with your gaze on him.” His clear word to all was, “Get away from yourself by getting mountains and glaciers and God – into your soul.”

As I think back to that flight over the Rockies, I will never forget how small things seemed in comparison to the mountains. The city of Vancouver looked small, the ships at sea looked small, the roads; the bridges – everything – looked tiny in comparison to the grandeur of those mountains that rose out of the earth. As I looked down from 10,000, then from 20,000 feet up in the air, I realized that there is nothing too hard for the Lord to accomplish. Indeed, if there is any limitation He faces, it is with my unwillingness to believe – but even then, and I say this carefully – God is able to bring situations into my life that turn my lack of faith into a cry for help. A cry that says, “Lord, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mk. 9:24, NIV).

From the high places of mountain life, we begin to see things from God’s perspective. From such heights, those things that bother the people who walk with their faces to ground are dwarfed by the sight of something greater – the awesome power and majesty of God. As the prophet Isaiah said, “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Is. 40:31, NLT). When was the last time you turned your gaze towards God and His creation?