Mountaintop Experiences

And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."

                                                             – Mark 9:29


When I climbed Mount Lassen five years ago, I got hooked on hiking. Since then I've averaged 5-10 serious hikes per year, each year trying to achieve some new personal goal or summit.

I usually hike alone. That violates what some consider a rule of safety, to hike with others, but of course I'm never really alone, as God has promised to be with me always. And hiking alone gives me hours or days of quality time to spend with Him.

In our spiritual lives we also should also strive for mountaintop experiences – times we set aside to reach new places with God and gain new perspective. The parallels with hiking physical mountains are striking.

●  Preparing to hike a mountain entails training. Before I first ascended Mt. Whitney, I trained for eight months, working out in the gym, hiking lesser peaks, and spending time at high elevation to acclimatize (prepare the body for exertion at high altitude). Because I had properly trained, the hike was enjoyable, with no exhaustion or altitude sickness. I also studied the maps and communicated with others who were familiar with the mountain.

Similarly, we are unlikely to reach new heights in our relationship with God without training. This type of training consists of practicing the spiritual disciplines (prayer, meditation, study, simple living, fasting, and so on). The Bible is a map of the terrain leading to a closer relationship with God. And through fellowship with other believers we can help us prepare to deal with the pitfalls along our spiritual journey.

●  Hiking requires tremendous amounts of water and calories. As I was recently preparing to hike in the Grand Canyon I read that during a canyon hiking in summer, the body consumes 32 ounces of water per hour, which happens to be the maximum amount the body can process in an hour. One must drink constantly. And a day of mountain climbing can easily burn 5,000 calories or more.

Ascending a spiritual mountain demands the Bread of Life (reading the word of God) and Living Water (grace that flows out of a committed relationship with God). Otherwise, we will not lack sufficient endurance to finish our "hike" and are likely to give up before reaching the goal

●  Hiking yields new views. From the summit of Mt. Shasta I not only gained an eagle's view of the surrounding terrain, but also noted the Coastal Range, part of the California Sierras, and peaks up in Oregon. I took along a camera so I could refer back to the perspectives that can only be seen from high altitude.

Experiencing a mountaintop with God also gives us new perspectives. Life is brief, our circumstances are not as dire as they sometimes appear, and God's grace and love are always there just as He promised. It is good practice to maintain a journal of how God has worked in our lives, to help us put things into their proper perspective during difficult times.

●  Returning from a major hike is not only refreshing but also a letdown. The anticipation is over, the time has been spent, and we return to the "real world."

Jesus and His apostles experienced this letdown after the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-29). Peter, James and John, having enjoyed an amazing encounter with a glorified Jesus in the presence of Moses and Elijah, descended with the Master to a heap of trouble. The apostles were trying to cast out a demon as Jesus had taught them, but it wasn't working. When Jesus Himself did what they were unable to do, He reminded them of the need for prayer. They had allowed themselves to get out of shape spiritually.