Rattlesnake Ridge
Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Micah 4:2
Listen to He Called Me to the Mountain
He left! Moved on without a second thought. When I’d realized God left me sitting in the cold, I wondered why He’d moved away.
I’m naturally drawn to the overlain paths and serene twists of mountain laurel and rhododendron. I find restoration walking the steep and winding paths of the mountainside. This place, high above the world, the doorway to heaven…is where I seek refuge. I come here to talk to God.
Climbing the mountain is a struggle. The trail is rocky and steep; my knees and ankles ache; my lungs sting but despite the difficulty, I push myself ahead because God waits on me there.
I walked these paths this week—struggled up the steep incline and scaled the stacks of rocks on Rattlesnake Ridge. As the sun crept across the sky and the clouds rolled in, there was a nip in the air and my fingers grew numb.
“God,” I said. “Show me someplace where I can find the sun and get warm.” A bright ray lit a large rock by the treeline. I tilted my face upward and for a brief moment I felt the warmth I’d sought. As quickly as it came, it faded and I grew cold.
At the crest of the summit, a large boulder bathed in the sunlight. “God, You moved. Why’d You leave me?” Like a spoiled child I sat stubbornly; unwilling to move, waiting for God to come back, but He didn’t. He continued on and the rock at the summit grew brighter.
I don’t like being left. It’s my deepest fear—the one thing I dread. It seems just as I find someone I really care for, they move on or away…worse, they die. I’m left alone. Again. So after I struggle my way to the summit, it doesn’t make me feel secure to be abandoned.
But God constantly moves. Continually advances. He’s not a backtracker. Though He slows His pace for me to catch up, He never stops. He knows how difficult it is for me to climb the mountain so He calls me to come, walk along side Him; not sit and wait for Him to circle around. He can’t teach me if I’m stubbornly sitting on a rock. I have to keep up.
Following God is hard. I don’t always understand His instruction or why He moves when I need Him to warm me. Still He calls me, pulls me closer, draws me to lean on Him. Even when I feel like He’s abandoned me. He really hasn’t He simply wants me to move ahead, follow in His path, not get hung up in the ways of life. God teaches me this way.
Has God moved away from you? Moved His warmth a step ahead? He encourages us to walk toward Him, with Him so He can teach us. He waits for you to step into His company. Won’t you join Him?
Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions Speak UP! along with Scott McCausey.
And now you can catch them each Friday evening at 7 p.m. on He Said, She Said Radio . (Call in number, 646-929-0706 ). They travel with Christian Devotions Ministries teaching the art of writing devotions at writers conferences across the country. Eddie and Cindy are featured in Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust – A Journey to Financial Dependence.
