Put On Your Hiking Boots!
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
“May the Spirit of God assist us to leave the mists of fear and the fevers of anxiety and all the ills that gather in this valley of earth, and to ascend the mountains of anticipated joy and blessedness.” – C.H. Spurgeon
Back in 2014, I had the privilege of leading a mission team to Kenya where we ministered virtually non-stop for 11 days. During that time, we shared the gospel with an estimated 5,000 inmates in 10 different Kenyan prisons, including one of only two maximum-security correctional institutions on the African continent. We also visited an orphanage and shared the gospel – and lots of love and candy – with the kids there.
During one of our few down times, our host decided to take us to a nature preserve where we hiked through a dense rain forest. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a large mountain emerged above the mist and so, we started climbing… and climbing… and climbing. By the time we reached the top, our shirts were drenched with sweat and we were laboring to breath at such a high altitude.
But guess what? It was worth it! The view from the mountaintop was absolutely breathtaking. You could literally see for miles and miles in every direction.
Leaving earth and its cares behind is what mountaintop experiences are all about. But those blessed experiences are usually short-lived, recharging our spiritual batteries so we can effectively minister in the valleys below where much of life is lived amongst a world of lost and hurting people.
Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” has much more to say about this subject…
“May God the Holy Spirit cut the cords that keep us here below and enable us to climb! We are too often like chained eagles fastened to the perch, and even worse, unlike the eagle, we begin to love our chain and might even, if it came to the test, be loath to have it snapped.”
Better put on my hiking boots or better yet, grow some wings!
“But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
