It was a normal morning. I got my cup of coffee and my dog (she loves our morning quiet time). Spent some time journaling, opened and read my devotional and then my Bible. Honestly, I was simply going through the motions. My quiet times have been just blah lately. I read, but don’t get much out of it. I pray and it feels like my prayers are only going as far as the ceiling. They have been a task to check off, instead of a time I look forward to, where my Savior and I openly and honestly communicate. I don’t know exactly when it happened or how. All I knew was that I was stuck and tired of the blah.

For several days prior to this the focus of the daily devotional I read (My Utmost for His Highest) had been on us wanting to live on the mountain top, instead of coming back down the mountain. One of the reasons I love this devotional is that it makes me think about scripture in ways I never had before. The passage used was a familiar one from Mark 9. It’s where Jesus takes a few of His disciples up a mountain and they witness a meeting with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. It’s there that they hear God speaking, saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”. Peter wants to stay and build shelters, saying “it’s good for us to be here with you”. But Jesus just heads back down the mountain.  At the foot of the mountain, there was a crowd of people waiting for Jesus. Scripture says “When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him” That was kind of the writer’s point- we are not meant to stay on the mountain top. There are people all around us that are waiting for Jesus!

That’s when I realized part of what my problem was- I desperately wanted to go back up the mountain, but couldn’t seem to find a way! Over the summer, through some various experiences I had been on that mountain top, feeling close God and ready to go wherever He sent me, but now I found myself at the foot of the mountain, the work I had been called to right in front me and me not at all happy about it. Because it wasn’t what I wanted. Who doesn’t love mountain top experiences. You feel closer to God than anywhere else and many times like you can accomplish anything because of that closeness you feel. These experiences are necessary and special times. I believe they are meant to refuel and refocus us on God and where He wants to take us. They fill us with courage and confidence in Him. But they are wasted experiences if we are unwilling to go back down the mountain and do the work we have been called to.  And sometimes, where He wants us is not necessarily where we want to go. But just as Jesus and His disciples came back down the mountain, so must we. There are people waiting on us!

Take a look at Psalms 63:1-8 “God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. 5 You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. 6 When I think of you as I lie on my bed, I meditate on you during the night watches 7 because you are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. 8 I follow close to you; your right hand holds on to me. This Psalm in many ways describes how I was feeling; I was “in a land that is dry and desolate land”. But I had forgotten the part where it says “I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you, my body faints for you and I follow close to you.” I was so busy searching for a feeling and what I wanted that I almost missed what God had for me to and the people that are waiting for Jesus at the foot of the mountain.

So what’s my point? Following closely to Jesus is hard. He takes us places and asks us to do things that are hard. But there are hurting people all around us who need and are waiting on Jesus. If you have been blessed with some time at the top of the mountain, don’t be afraid to head back down. Jesus is right there with you, and he has important places to take you and people for you to share Him with. Plus you are not alone, all of us struggle from time to time and get off track. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or seek counsel from a fellow believer when you are struggling.