Abba's Dearly Beloved

“We are hidden in Christ in God.”

Colossians 3:3

The Canadian Rockies for those who have or have not been alike provide some of the most breath-taking mountain scenery anywhere on earth. Enthroned in circles of cloud and many wearing snow-capped crowns and even bejewelled with unexpected treasures of turquoise green and azure blue lakes that from a distance look like tear drops. There is something profoundly holy in the breath-taking beauty and to quote the ancient hymn, the “lofty grandeur”, that mountain vistas conjure. It points to how small and insignificant we seem and the incomparable power and creativity of the designer of forces that shaped them. With many mountain summits breaking the clouds and literally reaching to the heavens, at least for me, they are beacons of worship pointing to a mighty creator God.

Mountains are of major significance in the Biblical story as places of intimate encounter and revelation between God and man. It was on Mount Sinai (mount Horeb) that God revealed the ten commandments to Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 19) and where Elijah encountered the still small whisper of God after wind, earthquake and fire (1 Kings 19:8-13). Jesus was transfigured in all his heavenly glory before the eyes of three of his disciples, Peter, James and John on “a high mountain”, possibly mount Hermon (See Mark 9:2-13) and on mountainsides, Jesus would often seek solace and communion with the Father and to pray (see Matthew 14:23 for example).

On mount Moriah, the site where Solomon several hundred years later was to build the temple to the Lord at Jerusalem, Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, his son born through God’s promise to Abraham of his destiny as a father to countless descendants and a blessing to many nations.  At God’s last-minute instruction his son was spared and a ram caught in a thicket sacrificed in Isaac’s place.

“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 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 22:13-14

A much-relieved Abraham may not have perceived the prophetic significance of this event as a prophetic picture of the place that Jesus as the sacrificial lamb took for each of us on another hill, Calvary. Moreover, whereas Abraham’s son Isaac was spared, on this mount, God did not spare his own son, Jesus, though innocent, as his arms were spread wide and fastened with nails on a cross.

There can be no doubt of the scale and enormity of what God chose to give and what Jesus chose to lay down for our sake on the mount of Calvary. It was literally and spiritually the summit on which God laid bare his loving heart for humanity giving himself in our place and shouldering every burden of shame, sin, brokenness, sickness and fear humanity harboured that separated us from his loving arms. If you are battling with doubt in such turbulent times, God’s heart of love for you, I encourage you to visit once again and pause at the place where Jesus lay stricken and nailed on that cross. There you will find the truth and earnestness of God’s sacrificial love for each one of us, the cost of which we will never truly know this side of heaven. Our own need of a saviour is exposed most keenly when we are confronted with the reality of our own brokenness and imperfect state and also our need and quest not only for redemption but the gaping hole in us that only the supreme overflowing generous love of God can fill. Jesus, the sacrificial lamb and as the writer of Hebrews describes, our eternal high priest, answers the hesitations we may have over the faultless nature of God’s love especially in such difficult times:

“Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Jesus as our perfect High Priest.”

Hebrews 7:26

So, whatever you may be facing today, make no mistake, Jesus’ death and resurrection and the coming wind of the Holy Spirit that now dwells within you and me as followers of Jesus has pushed beyond doubt the question of whether God wants to fill this gaping hole in each of us. For this act embodies the very heart of God. It has paved the way for us to take the extended nail scarred hands of Jesus and be led into the presence of Father God who calls out to us beloved child and in turn we have joy knowing that we are fully know and whisper back “Abba”, “Daddy”.

Looking back at the theme of today’s blog, the most significant mountain of all in scripture is Jesus himself. He is the eternal rock and refuge where we can take shelter and his foundations of hope, salvation, everlasting life and unfailing love are immoveable and irrefutable. In him at his urging, we are invited to remain and abide (John 15:4-5). So, let your weary soul simply find rest this day once again in the dependable rock, cornerstone and lofty place of safety, that is Jesus.

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:5-8