“For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place,
and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
And the mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place.” Micah 1:3-4
“O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.” Psalm 8:1
“Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!” Psalm 144:5
The highest heavens cannot contain the incomprehensible God. He inhabits eternity and condescends to the heavens to manifest His splendor, riding the skies to our aid. In Christ, He condescended to earth as Son of man to redeem us, and righteously rules today from invisible heights we cannot comprehend. God Himself calls us to behold Him there! (Deuteronomy 33:26-27a; 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 68:32-33; Isaiah 57:15; John 3:13; 6:38)
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber… nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121
The Lord treads the high places keeping watch over His own. Kings and kingdoms rise and fall, and His eye is on each one to perform His bidding. While we live in the lowlands, occupied by incessant conversation and comparison and consternation, we often fail to seek His higher thought, His long view for our circumstances, lofty desire. We get lost in the mundane and urgent when the high and holy hover for our grasping. What would change if we strode the ridges with the Almighty? (Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 2:21)
What areas of my life would I like to uplift? In what difficult situation do I need an eternal perspective? What gnarly conversations can I elevate? What expenditure of time and energy could become more significant, what use of resources more meaningful and lasting? Is it language, imagination, attitude toward colleagues or relatives that the Lord is saying needs an upward adjustment, a cleansing Spirit breeze, an infusion of the divine? What heavenly hope needs renewing?
“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.’
My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.
I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught a joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith, on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” ~Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922)
Lord, keep me alongside to tread the heights with You, above the madding world, seeing and seizing life with Your eternal perspective.
As the rain and snow 