I cringed Tuesday morning at breakfast when Pastor Manuel answered our question: “Where are you taking us today?” “Muy alto,” was his answer. If a local citizen of Ecuador says he is taking you “very high,” you’re in trouble. Though I’ve prayed about it quite a bit, I can’t get over a horrible fear of heights. When our bus left the main road and started climbing a section of the Andes Mountains, my stomach started rising to my throat. Gravel roads… no guard rails… higher and higher we went. Every village we approached I prayed, “Lord, this is good enough. They need You here… I’m sure they do!” But we never stopped until we got to the very top of the mountain.
On Thursday Pastor Manuel planned to take us to another village. At breakfast I reluctantly asked, “Are we going ‘muy alto’ today?” What a relief it was when he answered, “No, we’re going into a valley.” “Thank you, Lord,” I silently prayed. But before we went into the valley we had to drive up a mountain. And the journey into the valley was worse than the Tuesday climb into the mountains. We literally had to get off the bus to move rocks and branches out of the narrow dirt road that winded its way into a little village next to a flowing stream. The scenery was beautiful, but how can you enjoy the view when you’re hanging onto your bus seat for dear life?
This is not a new lesson, but it is one we’re supposed to remember: God wants to take us to the high places… and the low places… and He wants us to enjoy the journey with him. The disciples cried, “Master, we’re going to drown! Don’t you care that we perish?” while Jesus slept in the bottom of the boat. “Why are you so afraid?” Jesus asked after He stood up and calmed the waves. “You are with the King of kings. Why are you worried about a storm… or a high mountain… or a questionable road? If I am in the boat (or bus), don’t you believe things are going to be alright? Where is your faith?”
I know some may laugh at me for being afraid of heights and I might laugh at others for things they fear, but the issue centers on trust. I honestly don’t think I can keep my body from reacting the way it does when I’m 14,000 feet in the air, but Jesus wants me to keep my eyes on him and not be afraid. I love the conclusion Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reached when they faced a scary moment in Babylon. They said to Nebuchadnezzer, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18) This is a great attitude: “I will face my fear believing I will live, but if I don’t… so what? My God is with me.”
So step one is to ‘overcome the fear’ but step two is also important: ‘enjoy the journey.’ I think Jesus really wants us to take pleasure in his assignments. “Come up to the high places with me!” Or “You’ve seen the mountain tops, now let’s go deep into the lowlands where there are all types of dangers and trials.” Or “We’ve got an important job to do in another land, but in order to get there we must hop in a boat and sail through a storm.” Can we rejoice no matter what? Of course most of the time we’re assigned to rather normal or even mundane tasks at home, school, or work. But if Jesus is with us, should there not be a sense of excitement? Who knows what opportunity God may give today to shine his light? Who knows what chance we might have to demonstrate the kindness of our Lord? Who knows what purpose Jesus has in mind today? “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen or cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:17-19