The Mountain of the Lord
by Cheryl Young
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. (Micah 4.1-2)
There are many famous mountains in the world. I remember seeing Mount McKinley (now called Denali) in Alaska as a child and how vast and magnificent it was. There are many mountains in the Bible as well. They often are the places where God meets with people: On Mount Sinai where Moses was given the Ten Commandments; Mount Moriah where Abraham was sent to sacrifice Isaac, but God provided a substitute. We know about Mount Nebo, Mount Ararat, and many others.
Micah wrote about a mountain that will overshadow all the mountains that came before it: The Mountain of the Lord. Up to this point in the book of Micah, things are not looking good. But in these verses, we are given hope for the future. There will be a mountain where people will live together in peace. They will no longer fight wars with each other. They will no longer argue and fuss about the last - or current – administration, because God will be their king. It will be a place where people will find eternal safety.
The Mountain of God is not far off. Let us steadfastly hike toward that summit, keeping our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith. The way may be steep, we may encounter boulders that block our path or chasms that seem hard to cross, but in the end - when we reach the Mountain of the Lord, it will be worth it all.
Lord, one day I shall make my final ascent and be with you forever on the Mountain of God. Until then, help me to keep my eyes on you, to keep on climbing, and to find mountaintops of prayer and praise. In Jesus' name, amen.