MICAH 4:1-3 – 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, and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

THEME OF THE DAY. BEEN TO THE MOUNTAIN LATELY? Mountains hold a predominant place in the Bible. Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? On a mountain – Mt. Sinai. Where did the Lord Jesus give His life for us on the cross? Mt. Calvary. Where did Jesus take Peter, James and John for a prayer retreat? To the Mount of Transfiguration. And there are other references to mountains throughout the scriptures that provide us much instruction. Like in today’s scripture.

As we read the words of Micah, pay attention to what happens on the mountain of the Lord – “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” God’s people receive instruction that leads to obedience. And here are a couple of lessons for us.

First, a mountain is a place of quiet, solitude, and freedom from distractions. It was so for Moses, Jesus, and the three disciples who went to the Mount of Transfiguration to pray. If we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, be receptive to His teaching, and learn obedience, we need unhurried, uninterrupted, and undistracted time with Him. Be rushed, be distracted, and there will be no spiritual growth. The “loud noises” of the world will keep us from profitable times in the Word necessary for closeness to the Lord Jesus.

Another lesson from trips to the mountain is the experience of the Lord’s majestic Person and power. What are views like from a mountaintop? Breath-taking, overwhelming, and when viewed from the Creator’s Hand, humbly. Is that what we need in our lives and churches? Breath-taking and overwhelming encounters with the Lord of glory. Revival may be simply defined as being gripped by the holy beauty of the Lord; a gripping that lets us see Him as He truly is – high and lifted up and ourselves as we truly are – lowly and put down. Those perspectives are only gotten by taking trips to a mountain, not literally, though not a bad idea, but figuratively and spiritually. Without pulling away from the world, we cannot get deep into the Word. And without experiencing the depth of the Written Word – the scriptures; we cannot encounter the Person of the Living Word – the Lord Jesus.

So, amid juggling all the demands and challenges of life, do not forget to take regular trips to the mountain. We need it and if we make those trips frequently, we will have lives of spiritual consistency and stability as a result.

PRAYER: “Father, please protect me from allowing distracting and soul-deadening busyness in my life.”

QUOTE: “If we don’t make time to come apart to seek the Lord, we will emotionally and spiritually come apart.”