Nature has a way of speaking to us like no other. From doctors to psychologists to theologists, all recommend a little dose of nature, to get perspective and healing beyond what science can provide. But like many others, in the busyness of life, I took nature for granted because it mainly just provided a backdrop to the fast paced life we live. Some years when the seasons change, we barley notice spring change to summer and then to fall. I was in a similar state of mind a few years ago, until we moved from the east coast to the west coast.
When I thought of California, I imagined a place with palm trees & beaches and while it does have that, what I didn’t expect was, for it to have mountains... and I, for one, was completely taken aback by their magnificence and the landscape! Psalm 125:2 says - As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. That's the feeling I get when I drive around over here, like I am surrounded by mountains on every side and it humbles me each time I apply the above scripture to what my eyes can see - That God surrounds me with His presence in the same way...
For over a year now, I have watched these mountains from the new home God had blessed us with and have drawn so many different lessons from reflecting on it.Today as I write this devotion, I want to invite you to sit (stay) with me awhile on my patio and look at the mountains that you see above, as I share a few things that have spoken to me this past year.
Mountains and hills are mentioned more than 500 times in Scripture and have a special significance in the Bible. In the Jewish culture, as it is depicted in various instances in the Old Testament - the mountain tops were the closest place you can get to God, who dwells in the heavens, to communicate with Him and so many key events in scripture took place on the mountain tops. The birth and resurrection of Jesus made things a lot more easier for us who now have the privilege of calling God - "Abba Father" and praise God that we can do that without having to climb any mountain top, right?
Today mountains may signify many things to us - at times it is the hurdle we have to overcome, at others it talks about the spiritual heights we have reached in our life or the moments when life itself is going good and we have a mountaintop feeling. From the season I came out of, these mountains signified the 'presence of God' to me in a new way. The magnificence of it as it stretches high and wide while looking impenetrable or impassable showed me how unmovable and unshakeable these mountains are, reflecting the presence of God to be the ultimate stability, security and anchor in our lives.
I found myself looking to these mountains often and observing it through the different seasons. I have seen snow fall upon it and form a beautiful cover and have also seen it catch fire and burn. But regardless of whether the snow melts or the fire is extinguished, the mountains look the same. There is no change. I go to sleep and wake up knowing that as surely as the sun sets and rises, these mountains will be there to greet me every morning and that is how it is with our God. His presence through the days of calm or the days of fire is always available to us.
However, there are some mornings when I wake up and look towards the mountains and I cannot see them. On those days, the thick clouds cover the mountains and if you look at the horizon it looks like the mountains are not there at all….
Some of us have had days like these, or are probably having days like this now, where we know God is there but we can't see His goodness or feel His presence in our lives and there is no trace or shadow to tell us otherwise. The thick clouds of anxiety, despair, insecurity envelops us and we strain hard to see through it, to know if God is there.
When I battled depression, I felt this way over and over again. I would swing like a pendulum from having decent days (and I say decent because no day felt "good") to having days when life didn't feel worth living. Until He got me to this land and these mountains got my attention. But He didn't leave it at just that, He also put them ever before me when we moved into this home, so that I could write this with confidence today - He doesn't move and He doesn't disappear!!! Believe me when I say it, because I know now, without a shadow of doubt, that when the clouds lift… and they will lift... the mountains are there right behind it!
In the same way, The Lord our God is unmovable and unshakable. He is magnificent and strong and mighty to save us from the things that life throws our way. So let us be confident in Him because verse 1 of that same Psalm 125 says - Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. Amen! Let us continue to put our trust in Him and know that even if the days seem cloudy and we can't see His presence in our lives, He is still very much there.
How does nature speak to you today? He may have spoken to me through mountains but He can speak to us though birds of the sky, plants & trees, rivers & seas - if we pay attention. I spoke to someone who was born and raised here and they said it's interesting that I would notice these mountains so much, as they barely acknowledge its presence. So I believe it is up to us - to pause and take in our surroundings. One of my favorite Psalms, 121 says – I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from The Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth! … So on those cloudy days, as I continue to keep watching the mountains… slowly a wind starts to blow and the clouds start to move and they keep moving and lifting up… and I can slowly see the mountains come back again to my view...
So this is my prayer today, that as we continue to lift our eyes towards God, we will be rest assured, that our help surely comes from Him and in His time the wind of His Holy Spirit will blow away all the dark clouds from our lives and we will not just feel His presence but see His goodness too!
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. - Psalm 19:1
Comments