Learning of God in the Moutains, Part 1

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. – Psalm 36:5-6

As most of you know I just returned from a family vacation out in the western United States. We went to places we had never been before—places we’d only heard of or seen pictures of. It was a delightful family time in many ways and truly a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip. Before going I prayed and asked God to teach me more about Him through our travels. Today I was meditating simply on what I learned of God through the many mountains we saw on our excursion.

One of the first things we noticed upon arriving in California was the mountains. We traveled in seven different states on this trip and every single one of them had mountains. Some were majestic and snow-capped, while some looked barren and dry. Nevertheless, they were there—mountains––holding lessons about the Creator for those willing to observe and learn.

Let me share some of the truths about God that mountains made me contemplate. There are so many I will do so in two parts. In this article, let me simply share four insights.

First, mountains, obviously, communicate the idea of strength, stability, security, and permanence. That was the why Jesus made the astounding statement about having a faith that could move mountains (Matt. 17:20) and why Paul also referred to such an unimaginable feat (1 Cor. 13:2). Mountains seem fixed and immovable. In this, they also remind me of our God who is mighty and strong.

Second, mountains can stun you with their rugged beauty and majestic peaks. One can get mesmerized by their alluring beauty and gaze at them all afternoon from varying angles. This beauty is why they are photographed and painted and sketched generation after generation. Likewise David speaks of gazing upon “the beauty of the Lord” in Psalm 27:4.

Third, it is fascinating to me how mountains beautify all that is around them. Part of what makes Lake Tahoe so spectacular is the mountain range surrounding much of the gorgeous lake. Yes, the lake and forest of pines have beauty in themselves, but their beauty is enhanced. Or consider many of the valleys that look so lush and lovely. Imagine them without mountains around them. They would just be plains or flat terrain. Part of their beauty comes from the fact that they are nestled in between hillsides or mountain peaks. So when the Scriptures speak of the beauty of Zion I think the beauty referred to comes through a belief that this holy city is a unique habitation of the Lord (Ps. 48:1-2). It was His Divine presence there, in the mind of the ancients, which made Jerusalem so glorious. So also as we today associate with God, as we “put our hope in God” are we made more beautiful (1 Peter 3:5).

Fourth, mountains provide us an unparalleled vantage point that puts other things into perspective. As we ascended to the peaks over Sun Valley, Idaho the towns below diminished in our sight. The wealthy estates seemed small and puny from the mountain top. From the top of Morro Rock in Sequoia National Park we could see snowy peaks and peer into the San Joaquin Valley. There is no doubt God’s perspective on the affairs of this world and my own life is different than the perspective I usually live with. The wonder of knowing the Creator God is that as I see life through God’s eyes pride and fears diminish and that which seems all-important is reduced in significance.

Well, there is a taste of what God can teach us through mountains. But there are even more lessons to extract from the God-ward orientation mountains can give us. I will share more of them in my next article. For now, may we live in light of these truths—valuing that which is truly lasting from God’s perspective, enhancing our own beauty through fellowship with the glorious Lord, and fixing our hope in our great God.