MOUNTAIN TOP
EXPERIENCE

by Tim Knappenberger

Emerging from the woods, I crawled over slabs of boulders that seemed as if they had been carelessly poured from the cosmic sand pail of some mythological Greek toddler. Scaling atop the last boulder, I found myself at the very apex of two mountain ranges that merged together. Directly in front of me was a valley that stretched north and south. Directly behind me and to my right was a second valley that launched off to the northeast. It seemed as if I could see 100 miles in all directions. So high was I, that the farms, railways, and roads below me appeared as the view one gets from a plane. The few hawks that were on hand that day soared effortlessly at eye level. I could simultaneously see a rain storm 10 miles to my left and the sun shinning onto manicured farm fields 20 miles to my right. In a word, it was breathtaking!

I sat down to catch my breath; not so much because of the ascent up the trail, but because of what I was privileged to be witnessing. My reasons for wanting to go to a park area that day was partly due to the turmoil and struggles that have been broiling within me. My hope was to find a quiet place out-of-doors and talk with God. Sitting atop that capstone granite boulder, I was so overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty of God’s creation that I found myself spontaneously praising and worshipping. Conscious, rational, logical thought simply "didn’t have a prayer." I found the words of "How Great Thou Art" bursting from my heart and pounding in my ears. Passages of scripture like Psalm 121 seemed to roll off my tongue. Heartrending prayers with no more words than the Lord is great and greatly to be praised just rose from within me.

It almost sounds cliché to say I had a "mountain top experience," but that is exactly what it was. There are all sorts of metaphors I could develop about the event: the struggle up the trail, the unpredictable beauty of the vista that awaited me, or the inevitability of coming back down the mountain to reality below. Those will wait another day. What surprised me most about the whole experience was how naturally and effortlessly praise and worshipped gushed from within me; as if floodgates from some inner dam were suddenly flung wide. Simply having the opportunity to stand on top of a mountain helped me regain a perspective that I had lost. Given how much I’d been struggling with emotional depression and physical fatigue, it was quite surprising to me just how easy the praise and worship flowed. It gave me a glimpse of what Paul must have been referring to when he instructed that the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26). Sometimes it seems God’s Spirit aches (groans) to be allowed to praise and worship Him. Unfortunately, the worries and anxieties of life form a crusty layer around our hearts, hindering and inhibiting our praise. Fortunately for us, God will not be denied the worship due Him. Maybe it takes a mountain, or a song-inspired memory, or an unexpected call from someone who loves us. Whatever the impetus, the trigger manages to knock off the spiritual rust within allowing the gleam of the Spirit to burst out.

If you’ve ever journeyed through a valley of spiritual drought, remember that as miserable as you might be feeling, God is even more distressed when we fail to lift up our praise and honor to Him. Because He greatly delights in the praises of His people, don’t be surprised if you find Him leading you up a path to show you a perspective you’ve forgotten. Enjoy the view!

(Psalm 121:1-2)