Up On The Mountain

 

B

ats Cave is a little community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  The town is small and quiet, a place where people go to get away from the hustle and bustle of every-day-living.  The still mornings, the cool breezes, and the wonderful silence of the mountains provide the perfect setting for rest, for relaxation, and for recharging your batteries.  For this reason, many people take advantage of places like Bats Cave throughout the year, especially during the summer when it’s hot and in the fall when the leaves are changing.  Yes, Bats Cave is a wonderful place to get away from it all! 

 

However, if you are a five-year old kid, Bats Cave is not necessarily the haven enjoyed by most adults.  I should know; I was five years old when I visited Bats Cave.  Marlene and Sherman Brown had a mountain cottage there.  The Brown’s were good friends with my parents and often came to over to our house for dinner.  When they came, we usually had steak cooked on the grill.  I enjoyed their visits because I enjoyed steak and because it was always good to have guests in the house. 

 

The steak dinner, though, came at a price!!  Sherman loved to aggravate the hound out of my brother and me. At every turn, he would kid with us, he would tell us things to make us argue back, and he would hide things from us. Sherman just had a generally good time at our expense.  He loved it, and so did we although at times I wasn’t quite sure if he was being serious or just joking!  So you can imagine how I felt when mom and dad told us we were going to spend a weekend in the mountains with Marlene and Sherman locked in a cabin for three whole days.  I knew what was coming and Sherman didn’t disappoint!!!   

 

We arrived at the cabin after a few hours in the car.  I was worried, not only about Sherman, but where we would sleep, what we would do, and what we would eat.  Mom and dad hadn’t packed any sleeping bags, there was no food in the car, and we hadn’t been allowed to bring many toys.  I had this picture of me sleeping on the side of a mountain with only my raincoat for protection and only one saltine cracker to last me the entire weekend.  The prospects for a good time didn’t look too promising!   

 

However, as we entered the house, most of my fears were relieved.  There was a nicely stocked kitchen, there were bedrooms with real beds and blankets, and there were cookies in addition to the saltine crackers.  It was shaping up much better than I dreamed.  Everything we needed was already there waiting for our arrival. I was even glad to see Sherman although I knew the next three days would be ones of sheer torture on mine and Kevin’s part and pure enjoyment on his!  Nonetheless, it was a wonderful time and one that I fondly remember. 

 

There is another story, recorded in the book of Genesis, about a visit to the mountains.  This journey, however, was not one offering rest, relaxation, or enjoyment.  It was a difficult journey, made not by car but on foot.  There were no provisions taken, no food to eat, no sleeping bags or pillows, and no radios or televisions to help pass the time.  The only things taken were sticks of wood, blazing fire, and a knife—not the kind of toys parents want their children to play with but then again this wasn’t a journey involving play or recreation. 

 

The story of Abraham and his obedience to God’s command to sacrifice his son, Isaac, is one that is familiar to most Christians.  We marvel at this man who placed all his faith in God, even when he didn’t understand why he had been placed in this situation nor how God was going to work in it.  All Abraham knew was God had promised him a son and Abraham believed that somehow, in a way unknown to him, God would keep that promise.  Abraham knew God would provide; but head knowledge is one thing, heart knowledge is something quite different.   

 

What we need is heart knowledge and the picture of Abraham on top of Mount Moriah teaches us that wonderful lesson today.  Genesis 22:14 is a brief statement but oh, what a powerful punch it packs, “So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."  Please don’t charge through this passage.  Take a few moments to consider the following truths.  1) Abraham called the place “The LORD Will Provide.”  Now, why did he do that?  He did it because when God stopped him from taking Isaac’s life, the Lord, himself, provided a ram for the sacrifice.  2) Abraham would have never named the mountain in such a way had he not experienced God’s provision first-hand.  I don’t think Abraham would have walked past that mountain and said, “That mountain looks like a place where God would provide for me if I needed it.”  No, he named it the LORD Will Provide because he saw and experienced God’s provision personally. 

 

Also notice the place where Abraham is standing. He is ON the mountain when he experiences these things, and he is still ON the mountain when he names it.  We cannot experience the heights of God’s promises and His faithful provision while we remain in the lowlands.  To receive God’s best, to gain heart knowledge of our Heavenly Father and to see Him work in difficult and impossible situations, we must climb the mountain!  Abraham did not say,” In the valley of the Lord it will be provided”; he said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided”.  What a vast difference of experience and perspective exists between these two extremes.   

 

Are you experiencing the highlands of God’s provision today?  Do you know what it means to stand on the mountain and have God provide for you when it seems all is lost?  Have you had the wonderful privilege of seeing God work when it appears that everything and everyone is against you and there is no way out?  If not, it is my prayer for you that you will, like Abraham, come to know first-hand God’s provision.  Determine to climb the mountain, to go on even when it seems impossible, to continue when you can’t see the way ahead and to trust when you don’t understand.  God’s provision is waiting up on the mountain, won’t you start climbing today?