I have to level with you; there are few things cooler than standing on top of a mountain and looking down over creation. A few weeks ago our campus ministry hiked to the top of a mountain overlooking the New River Gorge in West Virginia. It was absolutely breathtaking.
We often describe spiritual encounters with God as “mountaintop” experiences. This seems appropriate since many times throughout Scripture people encountered God on the mountain.
- Digging In (God, Show Me!)
Take a moment to read the Scriptures below which record a couple “mountaintop” experiences where people encounter God. Read the passages from your Bible or you may want to print them out. As you read, look for answers to these questions:
- how are these encounters are similar?
- how are they different?
- what was the purpose for the encounter?
Exodus 3:1-8 (Moses)
1 Kings 19:8-18 (Elijah)
- Taking It Inward (God, Teach Me!)
In these two different encounters with God on the mountain, God chose to reveal Himself in different ways; but in both cases there was a purpose for the “mountain top” experience. Use the chart on the next page to compare these two experiences.
| Person Involved | How did God reveal Himself? | What was the purpose of the experience? | What action was the person called to? |
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Moses
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Elijah
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Chances are you’ve had a spiritually significant “mountaintop” experience with God at some point. Perhaps it wasn’t actually on a mountaintop, but maybe it was at church camp, on a mission trip, or even in your church. Fill out the diagram below the same way you did the one above.
| Person Involved | How did God reveal Himself? | What was the purpose of the experience? | What action did God call you to? |
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Me
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- Putting Into Practice (God, Chance Me!)
We love spiritual “mountaintop” experiences! They ignite (or sometimes reignite) our passion for God. Of course we don’t live on the “mountaintop.” God calls us to the “mountaintop” for a purpose and a time, but He also calls us to action.
One of the most famous “mountaintop” experiences in the Bible is found in Matthew 17. In this story Jesus ascends a mountain with three of his disciples and He is literally transformed right before their eyes. Moses and Elijah show up, too (The same guys you just read about! Bet you didn’t see that one coming). My favorite part of the story however, comes as Peter offers to set up camp on the mountain in verse 4. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” I can relate to Peter, it was so good, he was just ready to stay there.
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. We don’t want to leave the mountaintop. Jesus refuses Peter’s request because he knows there is work to be done. In Luke’s Gospel, shortly after Jesus descends from the mountain Luke records the following in verse 51: “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” You see, Jesus knew how good the mountaintop was, but He also knew His mission. Our prayer for you is that you would use these “mountaintop” experiences to propel you forward in your mission!