HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD?

"So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”" - Genesis 22:14 

"The Lord tested Abraham."  These words at the beginning of chapter 22 begin a  powerful and sometimes troubling story of Abraham and his son Isaac and the possibility that Abraham would sacrifice his son to satisfy the Lord,  Most of us know, however, that this was a test of Abraham's obedience.  God had magnificent plans for Abraham, whose personal story would provide a key chapter in God's Story of the salvation of sinful humankind,  And Abraham, who was willing to pay an extreme price to be obedient, demonstrated that he indeed feared the Lord,  He learned that the willingness to make sacrifices is the key element to experiencing the fullness of God's promise.

But also Abraham learned that God would never call him to make a sacrifice that would bring harm to those entrusted into his care. And Abraham learned that ultimately God provides what is needed for the sacrifices that He calls us to make.  Out of this came the conviction that "on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."

We think of mountain as mountain top.  So for many of us, we must find a mountain experience in order to be energized or re-energized in our commitment to the Lord.  But here mountain is referring to the place that is set apart to come close to God, the place where we have separated ourselves from the demands and desires of this world, to meet God and encounter His powerful presence.

So many times, in the press of life, we default to our own provision for faithfulness and fruitfulness.  In grasping at our own straws we actually distance ourselves from the sense of His presence and the dependence on His provision.

During our Lenten Journey, let us take all that we are, affirming all that we need, claiming all that we believe -- and go to the mountain of the Lord.  And as we arrive, we will discover an incredible, life-transforming truth ,,, on the mountain of the Lord, He will provide.

(C) 2011 by Stephen L Dunn