You will indeed go out with joy
and be peacefully guided;
the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you.
(Isaiah 55:12a).
At my yearly conference in September, one of the speakers told of being on a tour in the Middle East years ago. The guide offered them a “side trip,” but warned that it would not be an easy journey. It was a trek to the top of Mt. Sinai to see the sunrise. To make that journey, they would have to climb for hours overnight in the dark up a treacherous and dangerous mountain trail, but, he promised, it would be well worth it, an experience none of them would ever forget.
Seven intrepid souls took him up on the offer. Before they began the six-hour climb, he told them the climbing rules. They were instructed to focus their flashlights right in front of their feet and keep their heads down. The man behind the guide would put his feet in the footprints of the guide. The one behind him would do the same with the man in front of him. Only by following in the experienced guide’s footprints would they be able to get to the mountaintop safely. He further instructed them to “Stay quiet and listen for my voice. There will be times I’ll warn you that we’re about to make a turn. When you hear my voice, make sure the person behind you heard it also.”
And so up the mountain they went, in complete silence and in utter darkness except just enough light for the next step. They reached the top exhausted, but a half-hour later, the sun came over the horizon with incredible magnificence, a sight and an experience none of them would ever forget, just as promised.
But what goes up must come down, and they began the arduous journey down the mountain. At one point, they came to a place where the trail was only 3-4 feet wide, bordered on one side by a sheer rock face and on the other by a cliff, a sheer 200-foot drop-off. At the sight of that part of the trail, one of the seven men went into a full-blown panic attack, plastered against that rock face, staring wild-eyed at that drop-off, and screaming in terror. The guide made his way back on that narrow trail to the man, trying to coax him calmly to move forward, promising he would be with him every step, reminding him that many before him had made this journey. “NO!” he screamed, “I DON’T WANNA GO THIS WAY! TAKE ME DOWN THE WAY YOU BROUGHT ME UP!”
And the guide responded, “This IS the way I brought you up!” At that point, the panicked man screamed, “IF I COULD’VE SEEN THE WAY YOU WERE TAKING ME, I NEVER WOULD HAVE COME!”
I think we can all see the applications of this story.
Oftentimes the Lord leads us in utter darkness, with just enough light for the step we’re on, with only His voice piercing that darkness along the way. The climb requires discipline not to look to the left or the right but straight ahead, heads down, voices quiet, listening to and obeying without question His Word. We follow in His footsteps, but not only His. We’re following in the footprints of those believers who have gone before us and who first followed in His footsteps. As the Apostle Paul enjoined the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me as I imitate Christ.” We all have those Christ-followers through history and through our own personal history, some known and some unknown, whose footsteps in His footsteps have led us up the mountain.
And certainly, in many cases, if we could have seen the way the Lord was leading us and all of the perils of the climb, we never would have come. We would have remained slumbering in our warm beds at the hotel while others saw the glory He wanted us to see. Sometimes it’s a scary thing to be able to see. That’s why we’re told to walk by faith and not by sight. Sight says it’s too frightening to go on. Faith says that our Heavenly Guide knows the way, and will take us safely to our intended destination whether we can see the dangers or not. And the next time our Guide rouses us from our comfortable slumber and says, “Grab your flashlight and come with me” we have greater confidence in our Guide and oh-so-much desire for whatever it is He wants us to see.
They got the panicked man through the narrow trail and down the mountain. They linked themselves together so that if one stumbled, the others would hold on to him. Between the calm voice of his guide and the knowledge that his fellow climbers were supporting him, he made it.
In 1993, Wayne Watson recorded a song called “A Beautiful Place.” Here are some of the lyrics:
If I had my way/ I must admit/ If I called every play of the game/ I'd pray for good times/ Blue skies, sunshine/ And avoid with a passion the pain/ But with every blow from an angry wind/ And with every dark shadow that falls/ There's a better view up around the bend/ Where this puzzle makes some sense after all.
Mistakes and misfortunes will come and go/ To try and to fail is no disgrace/ Sometimes a rough and a rocky road/ Can take you to a beautiful place.
Is there anyone looking back in faith/ That can deny that the Father knows best/ Oh, but at the time and place for the life of you/ You saw no reason, no good for the test/ But now remembering as you watched His hand/ Put the color to your black and white dreams/ Maybe one more time past what you can see/ The trouble of the moment's not as bad as it seems.
And the unspoiled beauty of the wisdom of God/ Lies in the wilderness/ Up there beyond the easy reach/ Where the journey takes a little more faith I guess.
Mistakes and misfortunes will come and go/ To try and to fail is no disgrace/ Sometimes a rough and a rocky road/ Can take you to a beautiful place.
Whatever dark, dangerous or dreadful place along the trail you may be, there is glory ahead. Let’s get together this Sunday and listen to the voice of our Guide in His Word. Let’s share His Word, making sure others can hear it as well. Let’s walk in His footsteps and the footsteps of those who came before us. Let’s leave footprints for those who come behind. Let’s link our lives together in support. Thus we’ll make it to the top of the mountain, through the treacherous pathways, and in the deepest of valleys. Be assured that He is taking us to a beautiful place, and on the journey, we’ll learn to love and trust our Guide and our fellow travelers all the more.
Numbers 6:24-26,
Bro. Donnie