Monthly Archives: September 2022

Yesterday I climbed a mountain.

Okay, it was really just a tall hill across the road from our house, but it was still a steep climb and I was huffing and puffing a little by the time I reached the top. The view was worth the effort, however. Hills and mountains all around; the sun on the valley flower below; the blue sky, with scattered clouds drifting by. God seems nearer when you’re on a mountaintop.

The valley I live in is beautiful, but sometimes it can be a little dark. The sun doesn’t rise over the eastern hills till later in the morning and sinks behind the western peaks earlier than I’d like sometimes. In the winter it can get a little depressing. That’s why it’s good for me to climb a mountain once in a while, to get a view from the top. It changes my whole perspective.

This world can also be a pretty dark place. Some days it feels like the sun will never shine again. We seemed doomed to wander through dark valleys, plagued by troubles, weighed down by our mistakes, and unable to see beyond the problems that rise up all around us.

Life can be hard in the valley, which is why it is so important for us to regularly “go up to the mountain of the Lord…” When we do “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” (Micah 4:2). We must daily get a view from the top, so we don’t grow weary as we walk through the valleys.

The people of Israel had a literal mountain to “go up to”, with a temple on top where God dwelt. Obviously we don’t have that now. Instead we have something better. We have God’s Word.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” As we open our Bibles each day, we are lifted higher than the mountains, into the very presence of our Maker and our God. Through daily prayer and Bible study, we can gain His eternal perspective and the strength and direction we need to walk safely through the valleys of life.

God promises in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Every morning, before you start your day, take time to “go up to the mountain of the Lord.” Spend time in His Word. God longs to “teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” (Micah 4:2).

This week don’t just wallow in the valley. “Go up to the mountain” and let God show you His view from the top. I promise you’ll be glad you did!

I had the most delicious sandwich yesterday! Rye bread with tomatoes and onions from the garden, plant-based chicken and ham deli slices, lettuce, mayo, home-made dill relish and ranch dressing. The garden-fresh veggies just exploded with flavor in my mouth! It was amazing!

As you can probably tell, I like to eat, especially this time of year. Fresh cucumbers, vine-ripened tomatoes, crisp watermelon, savory squash – my mouth is watering just thinking about them! I love sampling different varieties of produce, savoring their amazing flavors.

My wife says she loves to watch me eat, the way I savor each bite. Of course, the fact that she is such an amazing cook helps. It’s no wonder I gained 20 pounds in our first 2 years of marriage!

One of the things I’m most grateful for, after my recent bout with COVID, is that I never lost my sense of taste. I think that would have been the worst part for me, because enjoying different flavors is one of life’s little pleasures.

Sometimes the pressures and worries of this life can leave us with a bad taste in our mouths, but there is a solution. Psalm 34:8 encourages us to, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh the joys of those who take refuge in him!”

Being a child of God is like sitting down at an overflowing table at Thanksgiving, with more delicious food than you can possibly eat. As Lamentations 3:22 says, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.” God is always coming up with new blessings for us to taste and enjoy.

This week as you go about your busy activities, pause once in a while to enjoy God’s bountiful blessings that are all around you. Savor the first gleams of morning light. Taste the crisp morning air. Drink deeply of the living water flowing from God’s throne and gorge yourself on the Bread of Life. Enjoy the sweetness of God’s love for you and His mercy that never ends.

Today and everyday “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Then go share what you’ve found with someone you know, so they too can “taste and see.”