Pastor’s Corner: “High Places”
Habakkuk 3:19 (ESV) – 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.
One of the things that I miss most about living in the Pacific North West is the mountains. The home where we stayed on our vacation this last week had a beautiful view of Mount Rainier which stands at 14,410 feet above sea level. Even when the clouds were blocking the view, you knew it was still there, standing majestically above everything. While I am not a climber, the mountains always seem to be calling me to climb.
God created us to climb. That’s one of the reasons I love mountains so much—they remind me of our spiritual journey. As the apostle Paul said, “I press on toward the goal for the (heavenly) prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). The Lord has a purpose for each of us, but it will never be discovered in the lowlands of this world. To fulfill our calling, we must move ever upward in relationship with and obedience to Him. Our life’s goal should be to echo Paul, who said, “I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (v. 12).
As Christians, many of us prefer to sit snugly in the warm lodge, lulled to sleep in comfort as we gaze upward at towering mountains. We love to hear stories about climbers who reached the highest peak against all odds. We imagine the astonishing view from the top of a mountain. Being a spectator has become a common substitute for the real thing. But transformation never happens unless we climb the mountain ourselves. Daydreaming is never enough. We have to personally experience the realities of God, not just hear about someone else’s spiritual highs. We can’t be armchair Christians.
When we choose comfort over trusting God, we miss the abundant life that comes with climbing higher still with the Lord. When we first believe in Christ, we see only a little of Him. The higher we climb, the more we discover of His beauty. We must stop being spectators and start climbing. In God’s strength we can be like a deer that can leap to the heights. God promises the sure-footed confidence that we need to make it to the top.
David was a man who understood the concept of going higher spiritually. It was during one of the most difficult periods of his life that he reached a high point in his relationship with the Lord. For many years, he was on the run, hiding in the wilderness from King Saul. The psalms he wrote in those years are filled with imagery of his experiences in the strongholds of the mountains. In Psalm 18:33, David used these words to describe God’s care and provision: “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places.” A hind is a small deer whose feet are specially designed to navigate mountains. In a similar way, the Lord has equipped every believer with spiritual feet that are perfectly suited for “higher living” in His presence and purpose. We’re all called to climb, but the question is, will we risk leaving the comforts of the lowland?
We must move upward to fulfill the Lord’s purpose. All it takes to live in the valley is an unwillingness to surrender to God. Have you posted a “No Trespassing” sign over any area of your life? Are you living for your comfort, ease, and pleasure instead of the Lord’s purpose? The lowlands are filled with Christians who have settled for a safe existence rather than the challenges of following Christ up the mountain of His will. Others started to ascend but then stopped partway up. They’ve been living on a comfortable plateau ever since.
Abundant life comes only to those who move out of their comfort zone to climb higher with God. What is the Lord asking you to do? Is He leading you to surrender something you want to control, accept a situation you want changed, or do something you don’t want to do? These are all indications that He is calling you to move upward. There may be struggles, discomfort, and uncertainty, but the outcome will be worth it!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton