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Going where God leads
By Daniel King
Go. God wants us
to move from where we are and go to a better place. Will you go
where God wants you to go?
 As
I write this I am climbing Pike's Peak in Colorado Springs. I am
climbing with a group of 15 people. We woke up at 4:30 this morning
so we could get an early start climbing the 13-mile trail. The summit
is 14,110 feet above sea level, about 6000 feet above where we are
right now.
Several other people decided not to climb the mountain. Instead,
they stayed home and watched movies. They told the rest of us that
they were satisfied to hear the reports that we will bring home.
As I climb, I am reminded of Moses climbing Mt. Sinai. God had descended
onto the mountain top in order to meet with the Israelites. But
when the people saw God's power, they trembled in fear. There was
thunder, lightning and a loud trumpet blast which frightened them.
They stayed as far away as possible and they told Moses, "Speak
to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to
us or we will die." (Exodus 20:19 NIV).
Moses climbed the mountain to speak with God Almighty, but the Israelites
were content to stay in the valley. The people did not want to hear
the voice of God. Even though they were interested in what God was
saying to Moses, they did not want to hear God themselves.
"To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming
fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he
went on up the mountain..." (Exodus 24:17-18 NIV). The Israelites
saw the glory of the Lord, but only Moses experienced the glory
of the Lord. Some people are content to sit in the valley and hear
stories about what God is doing instead of climbing to the mountaintop
to visit with God themselves. It is possible to see the effects
of God's presence and to hear reports about it without actually
experiencing His presence.
In the last several hours, I have discovered that hiking up a mountain
this tall is mostly a matter of repeatedly putting one foot in front
of the other. Even though my muscles may be sore, my breath may
be short and my body may be tired, I must keep climbing. The end
is in sight, and I must reach my destination. It is hard work climbing
a mountain, but the feeling when you reach the top is worth it.
God has a destination for your life. Reaching your mountain top
is going to require hard work and a daily commitment to taking the
next step. If you want to meet God and be all He wants you to be,
you need to leave the valley and start climbing the mountain. Step
by step, day by day, you need to read your Bible, pray and seek
God's presence; only then will you be able to experience God's power
as Moses did.
In order to go, you must move. Are you going to stay in the valley
or are you going to climb the mountain? Are you going to be satisfied
with hearing reports about what God is doing or are you going to
experience His hand yourself? If you want to climb the mountain,
begin right now by taking a moment to talk with God.
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