Here is a quick picture from one of our stops through the mountains. You’ll notice a little river along the bottom, and what you’re seeing at the top of the picture is a Peruvian cemetery. They bury their loved ones above the ground in these little buildings here. Each “black hole” is a place where a body is put to rest.
Think about the people of Peru and how many of these whose remains were placed here may have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Romans 10:13-15, NIV
Here I am at the highest point in the Andes Mountains! Can you see the snow in the mountain peak behind me? It’s really cold, and the air is so thin that you can find it hard to keep your breath just walking from the van to this point where the picture was taken – it’s only about a 30 yard walk and a 10 foot hill I’m standing on!
But just think: The Lord God Almighty made all these mountains, and He reigns in sovereign power from His throne in heaven over all the earth which is His footstool! “This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the Lord. ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.’” Isaiah 66:1-2, NIV
There are so many sights like this one as we journeyed through the Andes. But I want you to take a close looks at this one. Do you see how calm the water is even though the skies look ominous? Do you see the little paths etched out on the ground in the forefront of the picture? But do these majestic mountains look threatened or intimidated at all? Certainly not!
I think we all feel as though this picture could represent our life’s journey at innumerable times, don’t we? But remember these promises: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his names sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:1-4, NIV
Do you know what I love about this picture? The light on the grass contrasts so sharply with the shadows casts by the clouds.
How many times this is true for the Believer! It’s seems that the deeper the shadow - the brighter the light. The deeper the valley - the higher the mountain peak. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you savor this familiar truth as though it’s the very first time you’ve ever heard it: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28, NIV
Only God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), and all of creation sings His praise!
May we join with all of creation now and give the Lord Jesus the glory that only He rightly deserves! “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.” Psalm 19:1-6, NIV
"Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and the lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." Psalm 150, NIV
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