Divine Presence in the Mountians, Fr.Joby Vc
DIVINE PRESENCE ON MOUNTAIN
Fr.Joby kachappilly VC, jobichanvc@gmail.com
According to the Bible, going to the mountain in quest of God is an important act of pilgrimage. The Bible depicts mountains as venues of God’s blessings and as symbols of His presence. The Sinai Mountain and the Sion Mountain had been considered as spheres of divine presence by the Jews (Exo. 19:3; 24,16). In a similar way we can also see in the Bible how the mountains become avenues where scenes of excruciating pain and spiritual upheavals are enacted. It is when we look at the mountains in a contemplative strain of mind that we are able to comprehend the divine schemes and spiritual revelations contained in them. Jesus had a special love and affinity for the mountains. Apart from mere geographical and topographical considerations, Jesus must have chosen the mountains for prayers and adoration because of his realization that mountains had the unending treasures of divine graces (Mt. 14:232, Mk. 6:46; Lk. 6:12). How gracefully and courageously does he carry out the will of his Father even amidst the spiritual upheavals on the Mountain of Olives and amidst the passion and suffering on the Golgotha Mountain! If we take the pains to ascertain on which mountain we are, it will go a long way in helping us in finding the love of God and living a life of repentance. When we view our problems from the heights of the divine graces, our life will transform itself into a sea of divine blessings.
THE HOREB MOUNTAIN
The Bible says that Moses reached the Horeb mountains somehow as he was grazing the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro. It is quite possible that Moses reached Horeb, the mountain of God, after losing his way. Moses must have cursed his mistaken journey. But it was when he was trying to find the way back that he received the greatest blessings of his life. It was here that Moses had the God-experience. It was during this derailed journey that Moses was chosen by God and revealed Himself to Moses (Exo 3:1-12).
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Nothing happens in life accidentally. Behind everything God has big plans. I have seen many people who wonder if they had chosen their vocation rightly. Behind the mistaken journey of Moses, God had a wonderful plan. God wanted Moses to be his own man, his own prophet. When buffeted by the trials and tribulations of life, when caught in the eddying whirlpools of problems, don’t get panicky and flustered. It is possible that you have come to your Horeb through the deceit of people who hoodwinked you. But don’t give up hope. God would want to talk to you here. In the Horeb Mountain God performs many miracles. It was in the Horeb Mountain that God made Moses strike the rock for water to gush out to quench the thirst of the parched throats of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness (Exo. 17:6). It was in this Mountain that God made his Covenant with the Israelites and gave them the Ten Commandments (Deut 9:9-10). I was in the cave of the Horeb Mountain that Prophet Elijah heard the voice of God (1 King 19:8-10). Horeb Mountain is symbolic of many of our bitter experiences of life and its gross trials and tribulations. When pitched on this Mountain of pain and distress, if you look into the face of God, like Moses, and adore him, miracles will happen in a way beyond any reason or rhyme. Otherwise the Horeb Mountain could prove to be your undoing, leading you to sin and despair (Deut. 9:8; Ps. 106:19-20).
2. MORIAH MOUNTAIN
Moriah Mountain is the symbol of suffering and trials. The Bible tells us that God tested the loyalty of Abraham on the Moriah Mountain (Gen. 22:2). God told Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you” (Gen 22:2). Later God calls Abraham and establishes his covenant of blessings on this very mountain which was moistened by the bitter tears of Abraham.
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Moriah Mountain is the symbol of life’s sufferings. In the same way God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, we too are often asked to part with things and persons that we have been holding close to our bosoms. The famous thinker Louis Evly puts it in a beautiful manner: Good puts his hands into the pockets of those whom he loves. He takes whatever he feels like taking away. God loved Abraham. He put his hands into Abraham’s pockets and what he found there was Isaac. So God asks Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. It was a time when Abraham’s eyes were moist with tears. If you have a Moriah mountain in your life on which you have lost your favored ones and favorite things, don’t plunge into the mire of despair. On this very mountain of tears, God has kept his covenant of blessings in store for you and for your family, even for generations to come. When you are called upon to sacrifice things like health, children, wealth, job, linkings and relations, be willing to do it with a ready heart. The blessings of God will come as a result of the willingness to make such sacrifices. God will see your tears, not a single drop of it will go unnoticed. Believe firmly that those who are willing to wait hopefully after losing everything on the Moriah of life will be blessed sevenfold by the Omniscient Almighty. “The Lord will provide, as it is said to this day. ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided”. (Gen 22:14).
MOUNT CARMEL
This is the mount on which there was test of strength between Elijah the Prophet of God and the priests of Baal, the symbol of evil (1 Kings 18:19). In this period of tension, God is not at all pleased with the sacrifice offered to Baal at the behest of Ahab. “They rayed on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response” (1 Kings 18:29). But God was pleased with the sacrifice offered by Elijah and He sent the fire down to consume the offering. Elijah thus is made triumphant overcoming evil (1 Kings 18:36-38).
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Mount Carmel is the symbol of spiritual struggle. There may be Ahabs around us who ridicule and discourage men of God when they are doing service truthfully and faithfully. They may try to maim and murder. But we have to struggle against evil without any compromise. When we try to please Ahabs for some momentary pleasure or gain, remember that we are sidetracking, and cheating God. Mount Carmel gives us the message to be steadfast in our struggle and not to slide into addictions and superstitions, even if we are bruised and lacerated when fighting for the cause of God. In the struggle against evil the ultimate triumph is for the warriors of God, who is present on Mount Carmel of life’s struggles. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory” (Zeph 3:17). Have faith in the promise “The God in heaven is the one who will give us success” (Nehe 2:20). It was to Mount Carmel Elisha repaired when he was ridiculed and rejected (1 Kings 2:25). Face the Ahabs that come to upset the graces God has prepared for us on Mount Carmel wielding the weapon of the Word.
THE MOUNTAIN OF OLIVES
The excruciatingly distressful agitation that Jesus experienced in his heart is indescribable as he was going to Gethsemane in the Olive Mountain. He shares his grief with his dear disciples with a tinge of tearful regret, “I am deeply grieved, even to death… And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed” (Mk. 14:34-35). Not only that, it was here that the Jewish soldiers and their cohorts arrested Jesus (Mt 26:30). When Jesus was writhing in mental agony and sighing with grief in Gethsemane, there was nobody to comfort and console him. All the people accompanying him had forgotten about the Bread of Life after satisfying their hunger with the bread he had given them. In that frightening night whose mind would not be distressed facing death, especially when those he nourished, betray him and deny him!
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Aren’t the experiences at the Gethsemane akin to our own life story? If you have stories of deceit by those you loved, stories of denial by those you trusted and stories of betrayal by those you cherished, do not abandon God on this mountain. Open your heart to pray like Jesus, even sweating blood, to be close with the Father. God will definitely send you his angels to soothe and comfort you. Do not cast away the bitter cups of pain and suffering that God gives you. Jesus taught us to hold them in our hands and pray giving thanks to God. He did the same. “When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives”. (Mk. 14:26). At the end of his passion and suffering, Jesus ascended into heaven in the background of the Mountain of Olives. The lives that pass through the tearful experiences of the Mountain of Olives will definitely be raised by the Lord in due course.
4.THE MOUNTAIN OF GOLGOTHA
This is also called the Calvary Hills. It is here that the historical event of Christ’s crucifixion took place. For comforting those in pain, for giving food to the hungry, for healing the sick, the world rewarded him with the cross. “There they crucified him” (J. 19:18). Even in the midst of his grievous suffering, we find one of the criminals cursing himself and ridiculing Jesus (Lk 23:39). We also find another criminal who, looking at the divine face of Jesus, makes his death, blessed by thoughts of heaven (Lk. 23:40-43). The scene describing Jesus lying on the cross writhing in pain, but forgiving those who caused in this agony and praying for them, and commending his spirit to the Father, is heart-rending (Lk. 23:34-36).
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: There are many people who complain why they are made to suffer although they do no harm to others but do only good. When we live in despair, unwilling to take up our crosses, we are mindlessly, thoughtlessly, casting off the schemes of God When we are willing to accept the sufferings from the hands of God, love them, and commend them for the transformation of many others, our Calvary Hill will become an altar of divine blessings. When you are hunted from pillar to post by troubles in the form of diseases financial crunches and family problems, do not make haste to curse the Calvary. Just like God saved everyone through the passion and suffering of Jesus shedding tears in Calvary, through your suffering, God wants to save many others. He has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well” (Phil. 1:29).
CONCLUSION
The spiritual message imparted by the Mountains is that we should not get worried and flustered about whatever mountain we happen to see ourselves on. In the journey of life, many of our family members might have reached different sorts of mountains. The husband may be on the tearful Mountain of Olives and the wife may find herself on the Calvary Mount of suffering. The Carmel Mount of spiritual upheavals and the Moriah Mount of losses and sacrifices may have been our lot. Instead of fondly wishing the mountains to go away learn to love God even while standing on the precarious pernicious perches. There even at the dizzying heights there is the presence of God. “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord” (1 Kings 19:11). There is God on your mount. Know that God is going to work some miracles for you. If you are to get blessings and God-experience on the mounts, you should be willing to change your attitudes. When your heart burns with the love for the Lord of hosts, the presence of the Lord will be felt and the kindling fire of Lord’s love will descend on you.
Fr.Joby kachappilly VC, jobichanvc@gmail.com
According to the Bible, going to the mountain in quest of God is an important act of pilgrimage. The Bible depicts mountains as venues of God’s blessings and as symbols of His presence. The Sinai Mountain and the Sion Mountain had been considered as spheres of divine presence by the Jews (Exo. 19:3; 24,16). In a similar way we can also see in the Bible how the mountains become avenues where scenes of excruciating pain and spiritual upheavals are enacted. It is when we look at the mountains in a contemplative strain of mind that we are able to comprehend the divine schemes and spiritual revelations contained in them. Jesus had a special love and affinity for the mountains. Apart from mere geographical and topographical considerations, Jesus must have chosen the mountains for prayers and adoration because of his realization that mountains had the unending treasures of divine graces (Mt. 14:232, Mk. 6:46; Lk. 6:12). How gracefully and courageously does he carry out the will of his Father even amidst the spiritual upheavals on the Mountain of Olives and amidst the passion and suffering on the Golgotha Mountain! If we take the pains to ascertain on which mountain we are, it will go a long way in helping us in finding the love of God and living a life of repentance. When we view our problems from the heights of the divine graces, our life will transform itself into a sea of divine blessings.
THE HOREB MOUNTAIN
The Bible says that Moses reached the Horeb mountains somehow as he was grazing the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro. It is quite possible that Moses reached Horeb, the mountain of God, after losing his way. Moses must have cursed his mistaken journey. But it was when he was trying to find the way back that he received the greatest blessings of his life. It was here that Moses had the God-experience. It was during this derailed journey that Moses was chosen by God and revealed Himself to Moses (Exo 3:1-12).
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Nothing happens in life accidentally. Behind everything God has big plans. I have seen many people who wonder if they had chosen their vocation rightly. Behind the mistaken journey of Moses, God had a wonderful plan. God wanted Moses to be his own man, his own prophet. When buffeted by the trials and tribulations of life, when caught in the eddying whirlpools of problems, don’t get panicky and flustered. It is possible that you have come to your Horeb through the deceit of people who hoodwinked you. But don’t give up hope. God would want to talk to you here. In the Horeb Mountain God performs many miracles. It was in the Horeb Mountain that God made Moses strike the rock for water to gush out to quench the thirst of the parched throats of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness (Exo. 17:6). It was in this Mountain that God made his Covenant with the Israelites and gave them the Ten Commandments (Deut 9:9-10). I was in the cave of the Horeb Mountain that Prophet Elijah heard the voice of God (1 King 19:8-10). Horeb Mountain is symbolic of many of our bitter experiences of life and its gross trials and tribulations. When pitched on this Mountain of pain and distress, if you look into the face of God, like Moses, and adore him, miracles will happen in a way beyond any reason or rhyme. Otherwise the Horeb Mountain could prove to be your undoing, leading you to sin and despair (Deut. 9:8; Ps. 106:19-20).
2. MORIAH MOUNTAIN
Moriah Mountain is the symbol of suffering and trials. The Bible tells us that God tested the loyalty of Abraham on the Moriah Mountain (Gen. 22:2). God told Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you” (Gen 22:2). Later God calls Abraham and establishes his covenant of blessings on this very mountain which was moistened by the bitter tears of Abraham.
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Moriah Mountain is the symbol of life’s sufferings. In the same way God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, we too are often asked to part with things and persons that we have been holding close to our bosoms. The famous thinker Louis Evly puts it in a beautiful manner: Good puts his hands into the pockets of those whom he loves. He takes whatever he feels like taking away. God loved Abraham. He put his hands into Abraham’s pockets and what he found there was Isaac. So God asks Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. It was a time when Abraham’s eyes were moist with tears. If you have a Moriah mountain in your life on which you have lost your favored ones and favorite things, don’t plunge into the mire of despair. On this very mountain of tears, God has kept his covenant of blessings in store for you and for your family, even for generations to come. When you are called upon to sacrifice things like health, children, wealth, job, linkings and relations, be willing to do it with a ready heart. The blessings of God will come as a result of the willingness to make such sacrifices. God will see your tears, not a single drop of it will go unnoticed. Believe firmly that those who are willing to wait hopefully after losing everything on the Moriah of life will be blessed sevenfold by the Omniscient Almighty. “The Lord will provide, as it is said to this day. ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided”. (Gen 22:14).
MOUNT CARMEL
This is the mount on which there was test of strength between Elijah the Prophet of God and the priests of Baal, the symbol of evil (1 Kings 18:19). In this period of tension, God is not at all pleased with the sacrifice offered to Baal at the behest of Ahab. “They rayed on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response” (1 Kings 18:29). But God was pleased with the sacrifice offered by Elijah and He sent the fire down to consume the offering. Elijah thus is made triumphant overcoming evil (1 Kings 18:36-38).
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Mount Carmel is the symbol of spiritual struggle. There may be Ahabs around us who ridicule and discourage men of God when they are doing service truthfully and faithfully. They may try to maim and murder. But we have to struggle against evil without any compromise. When we try to please Ahabs for some momentary pleasure or gain, remember that we are sidetracking, and cheating God. Mount Carmel gives us the message to be steadfast in our struggle and not to slide into addictions and superstitions, even if we are bruised and lacerated when fighting for the cause of God. In the struggle against evil the ultimate triumph is for the warriors of God, who is present on Mount Carmel of life’s struggles. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory” (Zeph 3:17). Have faith in the promise “The God in heaven is the one who will give us success” (Nehe 2:20). It was to Mount Carmel Elisha repaired when he was ridiculed and rejected (1 Kings 2:25). Face the Ahabs that come to upset the graces God has prepared for us on Mount Carmel wielding the weapon of the Word.
THE MOUNTAIN OF OLIVES
The excruciatingly distressful agitation that Jesus experienced in his heart is indescribable as he was going to Gethsemane in the Olive Mountain. He shares his grief with his dear disciples with a tinge of tearful regret, “I am deeply grieved, even to death… And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed” (Mk. 14:34-35). Not only that, it was here that the Jewish soldiers and their cohorts arrested Jesus (Mt 26:30). When Jesus was writhing in mental agony and sighing with grief in Gethsemane, there was nobody to comfort and console him. All the people accompanying him had forgotten about the Bread of Life after satisfying their hunger with the bread he had given them. In that frightening night whose mind would not be distressed facing death, especially when those he nourished, betray him and deny him!
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: Aren’t the experiences at the Gethsemane akin to our own life story? If you have stories of deceit by those you loved, stories of denial by those you trusted and stories of betrayal by those you cherished, do not abandon God on this mountain. Open your heart to pray like Jesus, even sweating blood, to be close with the Father. God will definitely send you his angels to soothe and comfort you. Do not cast away the bitter cups of pain and suffering that God gives you. Jesus taught us to hold them in our hands and pray giving thanks to God. He did the same. “When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives”. (Mk. 14:26). At the end of his passion and suffering, Jesus ascended into heaven in the background of the Mountain of Olives. The lives that pass through the tearful experiences of the Mountain of Olives will definitely be raised by the Lord in due course.
4.THE MOUNTAIN OF GOLGOTHA
This is also called the Calvary Hills. It is here that the historical event of Christ’s crucifixion took place. For comforting those in pain, for giving food to the hungry, for healing the sick, the world rewarded him with the cross. “There they crucified him” (J. 19:18). Even in the midst of his grievous suffering, we find one of the criminals cursing himself and ridiculing Jesus (Lk 23:39). We also find another criminal who, looking at the divine face of Jesus, makes his death, blessed by thoughts of heaven (Lk. 23:40-43). The scene describing Jesus lying on the cross writhing in pain, but forgiving those who caused in this agony and praying for them, and commending his spirit to the Father, is heart-rending (Lk. 23:34-36).
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: There are many people who complain why they are made to suffer although they do no harm to others but do only good. When we live in despair, unwilling to take up our crosses, we are mindlessly, thoughtlessly, casting off the schemes of God When we are willing to accept the sufferings from the hands of God, love them, and commend them for the transformation of many others, our Calvary Hill will become an altar of divine blessings. When you are hunted from pillar to post by troubles in the form of diseases financial crunches and family problems, do not make haste to curse the Calvary. Just like God saved everyone through the passion and suffering of Jesus shedding tears in Calvary, through your suffering, God wants to save many others. He has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well” (Phil. 1:29).
CONCLUSION
The spiritual message imparted by the Mountains is that we should not get worried and flustered about whatever mountain we happen to see ourselves on. In the journey of life, many of our family members might have reached different sorts of mountains. The husband may be on the tearful Mountain of Olives and the wife may find herself on the Calvary Mount of suffering. The Carmel Mount of spiritual upheavals and the Moriah Mount of losses and sacrifices may have been our lot. Instead of fondly wishing the mountains to go away learn to love God even while standing on the precarious pernicious perches. There even at the dizzying heights there is the presence of God. “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord” (1 Kings 19:11). There is God on your mount. Know that God is going to work some miracles for you. If you are to get blessings and God-experience on the mounts, you should be willing to change your attitudes. When your heart burns with the love for the Lord of hosts, the presence of the Lord will be felt and the kindling fire of Lord’s love will descend on you.
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