A Rock With A View

This week, my hubby and I went hiking with 2 dear friends at a fabulous place in the lower Catskill mountains, Mohonk Mountain House. It's one of the places that you really have to see to believe, a pristine lake atop a mountain surrounded by hundreds of acres of hiking trails.

 this is the view we saw from SkyTop

Tony and Alan hiked the difficult path through the Labyrinth, Lemon Squeeze and the Crevice to reach Sky Top.

Dawn and I took a steep, but easier walking trail to the summit leaving us time to rest a bit along the cliff edge. Dawn was enthralled with the view, especially when she saw a hawk below her. "I've never seen a hawk from above before!"

Up on a pinnacle, we were given a tiny glimpse of what God sees all the time. From our normal vantage point, all we can see is the hawk's underbelly. Our point of view is so limited, but God's view from above is all-encompassing.

When we struggle to understand, it's because we can only see what's right around us. We are unable to see the bigger picture. When the ark finally rested on the mountains at Ararat, water still surrounded Noah and his loved ones. It was months before the water decreased and the mountaintops were visible, and weeks after that when Noah first sent out a raven, then a dove, to see if the water had receeded. Even after the dove returned with olive leaf proof, Noah waited. Even after he saw the dry surface of the ground with his own eyes, he waited. A month later, not just the surface, but the whole earth was dry, yet Noah waited. He waited to leave the ark until he heard from God.

When Tony & Alan scrambled through the crevice, they couldn't see the summit. At times, they couldn't see where to take the next step. But they had a trail map to guide them. When we are ark-bound, unable to see beyond our immediate circumstances, it may seem that there is no hope, no sure footing to stand on. But God's promises are as sure a foundation as there is. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Ps. 18:2. 

Mohonk's gift shop sells a book, "A Rock With A View." Surely, our Lord Himself is a Rock with a view.

How is your view today, my friend? Are you limited in what you can see? Can you trust that He who keeps the planets in motion keeps you in the palm of His hand?