On day two of my race, when we were getting “prayed up” on Prayer Mountain in beautiful Sielmat, in Manipur India, I gazed into the beauty of the mountains and caught a small glimpse of the complex story which God is wanting to tell through my squad. As I stood on this gorgeous mountain top overlooking the valley, I was reminded what the mountaintop is for. The mountaintop is solely for us to admire the big picture beauty of the valley.
At first glance the valley may not seem as pretty and glamorous as the mountain top, in fact, it’s dirty, dusty, and filled with haze from the plumes of smoke billowing out of trash fires. Yet, it has a beauty of it’s own which far exceeds any vast mountain filled landscape.
What beauty am I talking about?
People
Broken people with their problems and hang ups. Hurting people with addictions and baggage from their past and anxieties for their future. No matter what these people have been through, God’s love still pursues them with a ferocity that is unmatched by any other energy in the universe. As mind blowing and enigmatic as that concept is, it is the force that holds all creation together.
As I looked at the sea of corrugated metal roofs in the village, I began to think about the families and individuals those houses represented, and how much God loves the people that live in those houses. I was overwhelmed as I realized just a small flake of the vastness of God’s love and the intentionality He shows with each one of us.
So, what does this say about the mountaintop?
The mountaintop is where we are given the big picture which we may not see when we are at street level. The mountain top is where we are filled with the spirit and receive revelation of what our mission is in the valley. The mountain top is where we acquire the strength we need to go into the village and spread the love of the Father.
What is our mission?
Our mission is to tell people how much God loves them and to bring them with us to the next mountaintop. This is where they receive the fresh revelation necessary to solidify their faith, and once that faith is solidified, they can be sent out into the next village, into the next valley, so they will continue to spread the love of Christ and bring more people to the next mountaintop of God’s insurmountable and unfathomable love.
Lord, I pray that over the next 11 months and for the rest of my life that You would be seated on the throne of my heart. I pray that nothing and no one would ever take your place. I pray that my motives would be pure in everything I do. That I would walk with you through the valley and over the mountain top. Jesus, lead me and guide me in your gracious truth. Close the previous chapter and be with my hands, feet, and tongue as we write the coming chapters according to your good, pleasing and perfect will. Consecrate my hands to do only Your work, my feet to walk only by the light of your lamp, and my tongue to speak nothing but your truth. Train my eyes to gaze only upon Your majestic beauty. Do not allow them to wander and lead my heart astray. Guard my heart from those attempting to steal it away from you.
Let my life be a constant pursuit of your heart. Teach me to love myself and others well, that the song of my life would be pleasing to your ears. Let me dream about Your glory every single night. Give me visions of Your majesty Lord, capture my heart with your awe inspiring beauty.
Thank you for choosing me to be a bearer of Your matchless name and that your sprit indwells in me. Thank you for opening my eyes to see the fullness of your glory, that I can bask in your love and wonder. Thank you for giving me a key to Your Kingdom and that I would steward it with excellence. Thank you that I have Your story to tell with my life and that Your majesty reigns and wins the hearts of all who truly encounter it. Thank you that my failures and struggles are never in vain but are redeemed with the soul purpose of declaring Your sovereignty and everlasting goodness.
Let your Kingdom continue to expand in our hearts and on this earth as it is in heaven. Let us not waste another moment in bondage to sin, but let us run, dance, and thrive in your freedom. Help me to be intentional with my family, relationships, work, and play. Break our hearts for what breaks yours. Let our hearts and minds be unified, bound together in your truth and love. Let past hurts which are holding us back from your spirit be uprooted by your wondrous power. let our sin be drowned by living water which flows directly from your heart through us like a torrent, drenching us in the sweet aromas of heaven. That we would leave a sweetness in the mouths and hearts of all with whom we come into contact. May Your truth be our only shelter in times of trouble. May we never forget and always honor with our lives the sacrifice You made on our behalf. May we always stand in awe of Your incredible beauty, and never forget our mission to bring others to the mountaintop of Your undeserved grace, and unwavering love.
Let us never forget for a moment our mission to bring the Kingdom
