Peter, a young university student was adventurous. He had an ambition to one
day climb the highest mountain in his continent.
Many of his friends, fellow students and even his family discouraged him.
The general comments were; It is dangerous, it is impossible to climb, it
has taken many lives and that it was too expensive to complete the
expedition. He shelved the idea and dream for a few months.
To some miraculous intervention, the local mountaineering club heard of
Peter and his dream. On one planned expedition, a member had to cancel his
trip for some unforeseen circumstance. He opened up the offer to anyone,
expenses fully paid for trip.
Yes, you guessed correctly, Peter was contacted and he stood at the foot of
the mountain. He was indeed awe struck at the enormity of the mountain and
stood gazing at it for some time. He felt a prompting to move away from his
group and others and stand a little distance from the mountain. In obedience
to the still voice, he moved some metres away and got a clear view of the
entire mountain.
He soon noted some features on the mountains that would help in climbing. He
also noticed some paths, perhaps used by previous climbers. At the very top,
he noticed what seemed like a flag fluttering in the breeze. He lowered his
vision and saw his team ahead of him.
He soon joined his team and began the ascent. At the end of a five-day trip,
he was back home sharing his experiences to a group of friends.
"I was," he said, "...over a period of time discouraged by many about
tackling the mountain. Many instilled fear in me. Many pointed that I cannot
do it and that the task was impossible. One day, as I was paging through the
Bible, I found a scripture: 'what is impossible with man, is possible with
God' (Luke 18:27 NIV). Boldness welled up within me. I soon realised that
Jesus dwells within me and with Him, I can do it!
"When I stood before the mountain, I saw the flag at the top of the
mountain, it helped reaffirm my dream and desire. I adjusted my vision and
kept the flag as my focus. I saw paths along the face of the mountain, I
realised that others have gone before me and accomplished the feat. I look
at my team and knew that I was not alone. I soon felt peace in my heart, the
assurance that Christ is with me.
"The temptation was to give up before I started. If I did, I would not have
been able to testify about the provision, peace and presence of God. Now I
am not afraid to take on the next mountain that may confront me…"
Ronnie Naidoo (Pastor)
7 May 2014.
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