Mountains are a magnificent conglomeration of earth and stone. If one were to stand at the foot of a great mountain and look up towards its peak they might realize that they are not as big as they may sometimes feel. To climb to the top and stand on the highest point as the ground falls away their feet in every direction, they may feel fear and love for the God who can create such a glorious beauty.Since I Grew up in a small town in Kansas, all I had ever known of mountains was what I had seen in pictures and movies. I never thought that I would ever set foot on the side of a mountain but that was before I moved to Colorado for college. Just a few days before school started, three of my new classmates and I got in a car and went to Mt. Evans (highest paved road in the entire world). We drove most of the way to the top and when the road came to an end, we hiked the rest of the way. At the top the view was brilliant and we walked along the edge of the mountain for quite a ways. We did not realize how far we had gone until we looked back to see that the return trip was not going to be fun. Three of us were grumbling to each other and the other guy in our group was checking over the ledge to see what it would take to climb down the side of the mountain. In his defense it really did look like it would be the easier route than the long walk back. So we decided to try the climb down. We had the plan of when we were at the base we would go to the road and hitchhike back to the top for the car.
So began the climb down. The first thirty feet was a cinch, it was a big dirt slide and there were handholds every inch of the way. It was after these 30 feet that our problems began when the dirt came to an end, leaving us with only cold rocks and steep drops. We wanted to turn around but it was impossible for us to climb back up the dirt we had just slid down on. None of us were dressed for cold weather, and sharp rocks or worse smooth rocks without any handholds made the descent very difficult. After a few very honest prayers for guidance from God, we continued on. Many times on the way down the only hold to be found was a small sliver of rock sticking out of the side of the mountain. This little stone was all that held us fast to the side of life and kept us from falling down the face of a mountain to our doom. But still we crept down slowly and with all caution.
We got to another point where we could not go down any farther. We had come to a ten foot drop straight down the side of the mountain and the landing was no more than a foot wide. To fall from this small ledge meant serious injury and ultimately even death. We were stuck. After a couple of the longest minutes of my life and seeing no other way but down, I sat on the ledge preparing to make the leap of faith. The muscles in my arms tightened as I was preparing to lower myself as far down as possible before dropping, when one of the guys told me to wait. He had climbed back up only about six feet and he had found what looked to be a straight walk the rest of the way down. I didn’t believe him at first. How could we have all missed something like that the first time? But, at this point any alternative was a good one, so we tried it. At the top of those six feet, my heart rejoiced. It was a slope of green grass angled just right to walk fully upright, the rest of the way down. When I thought that I was only seconds away from making a jump that more than likely would have been the last thing I ever did my stomach churned.
On the way down, one of the guys said to me “that sure gives new meaning to God is my rock”. I thought about that the entire ride home. How true that was, God is my rock. When the only thing you have to hold on to is a tiny rock smaller than your hand, you cling to that small stone with all hope rested in it staying in place. That is exactly how we should be with God, holding to him with every muscle in our body. This world is a mountain with steep cliffs and deadly rocks and if we slip we will die. But God is that stone that holds fast to the side of the mountain. He will always be there if we simply reach out to hold to him. “God is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer” Psalm 18:2.
