My wife and I have taken a couple of working vacations to beautiful Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is an amazing place. The first year we went, it was decided we’d fly into Seattle, since neither of us had been there, and then rent a car for the five-hour drive from Seattle to Coeur d’Alene. On the way up, we went through a few flat stretches, but much of the drive we were surrounded by the scenic mountains of the northwest.
This drive also brought to mind a family trip we’d taken in 2012 to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with my parents and my sister. We rented a cabin in the mountains, and it was just breathtaking, honestly. It was so peaceful to wake up encircled by the picturesque Smoky Mountains.
Since my mom and I both live in pain, neither of us sleep well, so I’d wake up early, sometimes 5:00 a.m., and slip out onto the porch balcony outside the bedroom my wife and I were using. A couple times my mom tiptoed downstairs and joined me.
“Isn’t this awesome?” she’d whisper, smiling, trying not to wake my wife.
I feel at ease and protected in the mountains. It’s a given: mountains are unchanging, unwavering, permanent.
This is how God is described in Psalm 125:1-2:
“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but stands forever. The Lord is around His people like the mountains are around Jerusalem, now and forever.”
The Lord cannot be moved. He stands forever. He surrounds His people.
Pretty cool, right?
I’ve never visited the mountains around Jerusalem, but the concept is the same as the Smokies or the Rockies: God is not only “longsuffering,” but everlasting, undying and unalterable.
You can rely on Him; He cares greatly for you.
Just like in the Smokies or the Rockies, you can breathe easier when walking with the Lord. You’re safe.
Sometimes you have deep, dark thoughts and issues. I get it. Some days life cuts you off at the knees, submerging you in darkness, nearly swallowing you whole.
Pain, depression, stress and anxiety can be asphyxiating.
I’ve been there, friend. So have many others.
Please remember, for those who call out to the Lord, acknowledge Jesus as their Savior, and put their trust in Him, I offer you this staggering promise:
“We will receive the great things that we have been promised. They are being kept safe in heaven for us. They are pure and will not pass away. They will never be lost. You are being kept by the power of God because you put your trust in Him and you will be saved from the punishment of sin at the end of the world.
“With this hope you can be happy even if you need to have sorrow and all kinds of tests for awhile. These tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also. Then your faith will bring thanks and shining-greatness and honor to Jesus Christ when He comes again (1 Peter 1:4-7).”
Remember: never give up, never give in, never surrender.
Blessings.
Broken People 