UP ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP

Reaching The Peak (Psalm 42:1-11) It is a song that takes the writer through up and downs in his life. ups and downs. He writes of how he is praising and celebrating and joining with the crowd who are in worship to God. Have you been there, its easy to get caught up in the feeling, and the joyful feeling of praising God and worshiping, I have been to conferances and revials before. But what happens when its over and you go home? The writer here expresses a deep emotional low, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? When you are alone following the celebration, iit feels like you have been left by yourself and no body cares anymore. This is the time the enemy likes to attack and really take you down hill into the valley. This is where the rubber meets the road, was your experience genuine or was it all caught up in the hype? WE need to make sure our hope ins not in the experience, but rather in God,where even after the mountain top experience you will say "for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5). The writer here shows us, how a pattern can form, and we desire the high, when we should be desiring that strong relationship with God Its a reminder that we need to be steadfst in our trust in Him, in verse 8 and 11, He shows how this patern can form and start repeating its self. When one moment, you feel like yout on cloud nine and the next day, feeling like God has forsaken you and thrown you into the pit/valley feel (9-10), But again in (11) God proves to Hhim the strength that is his and he remembers to put his “hope in God”. Today, or when ever you feel down in the valley, and difficulies are swirling around you look to God and move beyond the pain,God will provide comfort and a rememberance of the good things God has given and done for you. These, mountain top expereinces will come and go. They represent a peak, where what you have learned in the valley has a chance to grow into something good. They are good in helping you be transformed through a spiritual experience where the true character of God comes to light within you and the Joy of the Lord, becomes more clear to you and sticks and because of it your closeness to God begins to give you a higher purpose for being alive. Where even though you feel a little low, you recognize God is wanting you to be strong, and the feeling will be short lived and you will experience a triumph and revelation and a deep peace as you gain another victory over the enemy and you say to him, "Greater is He that is within me, than you are in the world. (1 John 4:4) After this kind of experience you will be inspired and will have a new perspective on navigating life's mountains and vallies. There are some mountain top experiences in the bible as well, your not the only one to experience these. Everyone does, just to different levels and through different experiences. 1. think of The Transfiguration (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9): Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain where they seen Him in conversation with Moses and Elijah, this revealed to those disciples that He truly is God helping them soo that before He went to the cross 2. Moses and Mount Sinai/Horeb (Exodus 19-20, 33-34): Think about this Moses on the mountain top by himself, and He has seveal intence conversations with God. first, the expereince of the burning bush,(Read Exodus 3) Later God wrote the tencommandments of rocks and gave thenm to Moses, this all happening while the thunder, lightning, and thick cloud where all around him. I am sure Moses made some promises to God in his heart and in actions, he was praising and worshipping God, and in the high moment, Moses asked to see God's glory. 3.. Also Elijah and Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18): He felt the power of God, and felt like there was nothing that could stop him, and in the moment he challenged the prophets of Baal, He was in tune with God as we see God at work as Elijah experienced God’s power as fire came down from heaven, confirming that God is who He said He was. HE was God who is in control and is all powerful. 4 Abraham on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22): God had told Abraham to go to Mt Moriah and sacrifice Isaac on the Alter to God. Abram, trusted that God was in control, but being human it was profound testing of Abrams faith. But as He obeyed his God, God was faithful and provided a substitute, revealing Himself as Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide). I believe that was a mountain top experience that changed Abraham forever. He would never forget that experience. 5. Jesus’ Temptation in the desert and times of prayer when He was tired and needed a place to rest (Matthew 4, Luke 6, 9): Jesus would intentionally go to a place on a mountain top for solitude and prayer,and quietly come into the presenance of His Father. He did this after feeding the 5,000, as well as during and after His 40-day temptation in the desert, He was able to stand on the word of God and defeat His enemy as we can as well today, because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. To teach us and to help us when things get tough.. Let me close with this, I know that many of us, myself included, carry the scars of terrible, seemingly unforgettable things that have happened to us. You know, today as I think back of those things, I have forgotten the parts that hurt and am able to move forward thinking of the GOOD things God brought out of it. With those memories, I am able to move forward in victory. When we stop saying, Why, and start saying, what did I learn from it, it is those memories that strengthen me as I move forward from the painful things that have happened to me in the past. In ite scripture today in Psalm 42, the writed feels like a deer running for its life with the hunter tracking it down. The he remembers and says, “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng” (v. 4). He remembers God's goodness in all curcomstances. God is there, all we have to do, is turn to Him Our memories of the good times with God is an encouragement to us to praise Hom, even in the midst of pain. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5). Remembering who God is, is strength and that we are a child of God, this helps us move beyond orr pain and reach forth to the future God has laid out before us. That is REACHIN THE PEAK, with victory.. AMEN Dear God and Heavenly Father, each and every scar and hurt you know, you know the anger I had, and you took it away, the grief that paralized me, and you took it away. Lord, you know when it trys and succeeds to return and take me down in the valley, and there you pick me up and carry me to hight ground. I love it Lord whe nyou wrap your arms around me, pouring into me your Goodnrdd and Mercy as your love heals the wounds, that I dont forget, but remember the good things that I came through them ith. Lord I love you. It is in Jesus Name I Pray AMEN.