Planting My Flag on the Wrong Mountain?

Mountains.

Just the word evokes strength and awe. I immediately think of “Purple Mountains Majesty” inspired by the Rockies.  Fun fact: when I was a kid, I lived on Mount Calais. I’m not surprised that you haven’t heard of it. (If you live in Frisco and you have heard of it, send me a message and I’ll buy you a cup of coffee!) For everyone else, it’s part of the Appalachian range in northern New Jersey. The Poconos weren’t far from us either, and any chance to go hiking was welcomed.  I miss that, especially in the Spring and Fall.

The Bible talks a lot about mountains.  From Mount Ararat, where Noah’s ark landed, and Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended back to the Father, and the seven mountains mentioned in the book of Revelation.

Twice this week, I was reminded of another type of mountain in the Bible. The mountains in Psalm 46.

These mountains will fool you. They look great, but their strength doesn’t last. Hardship will cause them to crumble. Let’s look at the first three verses: (NASB)

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and the mountains slip into the heart of                                     the sea,       

Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

I’ve been on mountains like this. No, thank God, I have never literally been on a mountain during an earthquake! But I’ve climbed the wrong mountain. I’ve made things that shouldn’t be mountains into mountains that I then clung to until they slipped into the sea, leaving me soaking wet and looking for a life raft.

My husband has been my mountain. As a young girl, I was taught that a husband was to be a wife’s spiritual leader, and I was eager to plant my flag on Mount Marriage! Unfortunately, it was a role he never desired, and years later, when he left the faith, my mountain crumbled, and I found myself swimming in turbulent waters!

My kids have been my mountain. I flew the flag of motherhood proudly! A bit too proudly. My desire to raise godly daughters somehow shifted my focus from God to them. I found out the hard way that children have minds and hearts of their own. They made their own choices, some of which shook the ground I was standing on.

What about you? On what mountain have you hoisted your flag? Your job? Your health? Your bank accounts? Where is it that you look to for strength, stability, a place to shine? I have found that any place of refuge that is not the Lord will crumble. Now, I know that some of you have faced and are facing storms and earthquakes that I can’t even begin to imagine. I’m not here to tell you to “buck up” or that I have any answers on how to make life easy. All I know is my story and who the Bible tells me God is. Because even as the ground underneath my feet was slipping away, God was waiting for me to shift my focus back to Him. Read Psalm 121:1-2 (NASB)

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth?

It may take figurative earthquakes for me to realize that I need help, but I have learned where to look.

God is so gracious! He is ready to pick me up and remind me that He is the solid ground beneath my feet as He teaches me the lessons I need to learn. Flip your Bible open to Psalm 30. You can feel David’s relief as he sings about healing and restoration! The first half of verse 7 says,

 O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong.

It doesn’t say that the quakes will stop. But, by His favor, our mountain will be strong when He is our mountain and the foundation beneath our feet.