Mountaintop Experience

12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. (Exodus 24:12,15-17)

When God called Moses up the mountain to receive the engraved stone tablets, it must have felt to Moses like an incredible honor, a highlight in his life. To the people on the ground it looked like his death. Mountaintop experiences are subjective - what one person finds to be encouraging and strengthening, another finds nearly impossible to survive. The difference is in recognizing the presence of God. God was no less with the people of Israel who waited at the bottom of the mountain, but their inability to trust what they could not always see caused them to rely solely on Moses.

When this faithful leader seemed to be consumed by the fire of God's glory,

the people were lost.

During the high points in life, God's presence is palpable. Much as we, like Peter during Jesus' transfiguration, want to get comfortable and stay forever on the mountain, life is lived on the ground - the long stretches of ordinary between the brief peaks. Maintaining a continuous communion with God through prayer, scripture, and remembering the ways made through previous deserts and valleys will keep us from forgetting and turning away from the Almighty who never leaves nor forsakes.

Whether on the mountaintop or in the valley of the desert,

seek always the presence of God.

1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said,

"This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"

(Matthew 17:1-5)