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Mountain Ridge
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith - 11/5/18
"Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!" - Ps. 148:1
This image was taken from a mountain ridge overlooking the Blackwater River in West Virginia. There are several towering rock outcroppings on this mountain that stand as sentinels surveying the valley below. From this lofty height one can witness nature unspoiled. It is a good place to come and take in the beauty of this area. It is a good place to commune with God. There is something about high places that elicits worship. The idol worshippers in biblical times erected their idols on high places. Today wealthy people tend to favor high places to build their elaborate homes. I guess idol worship still exists in different forms even today. There is nothing wrong with being drawn toward the heights. It is all a matter of motive. If the motive is to elicit praise from others or exalt some work of your own hands, then all you have done is proven that idolatry is still alive and well. But if your motive is to worship, to bow before the Creator of all you see, then the natural world that is spread before you is accomplishing what it was created to accomplish, to point you to the Author of all the beauty you see. God can be praised from caves, from valleys, from dense forests, and from ocean beaches. But I prefer the heights. I am drawn to the mountains. My soul flies with the hawks and eagles I see and swirls with the wind around the rocks. I see the hand of God in the shapes of the mountains and in the colors of the trees. And I see myself, tainted yet accepted, weak yet strengthened, poor yet rich beyond measure. God shows me what I need to see about myself and stoops to show me a glimpse of who He is and what I shall be. Only the blind come to the heights and see nothing. Only the deaf come and hear nothing. And only the hardened of heart come and are not softened. So come to the heights and lift holy hands to Him. Sing praises to His name. Then bow in His presence for He is truly worthy. - John
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