Streams in the Desert - Nov 08
by L. B. E. Cowman and Jim Reimann
He took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. . . . Peter and his companions . . . saw his glory. (Luke 9: 28– 29, 32)
If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways.
(Exodus 33: 13) When Jesus took these three disciples up onto the mountain alone, He brought them into close communion with Himself. They “saw his glory” and said, “It is good for us to be here” (Luke 9: 32– 33). Heaven is never far from those who linger on a mountain with their Lord.
Who of us in certain moments of meditation and prayer has not caught a glimpse of the heavenly gates? Who has not in the secret place of holy communion felt a surging wave of emotion— a taste of the blessed joy yet to come?
The Master had special times and places for quiet conversation with His disciples. He met with them once on Mount Hermon but more often on the sacred slopes of the Mount of Olives. Every Christian should have his own Mount of Olives. Most of us today, especially those of us in cities, live under great stress. From early morning until bedtime we are exposed to the whirlwind of life. Amid all the turmoil, there is little opportunity for quiet thought, God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship of the heart!
Even Daniel needed to have his Mount of Olives in his room amid the roar of idolatrous Babylon. Peter found a rooftop in Joppa, and Martin Luther found an “upper room” in Wittenberg, a place that is still considered sacred.
Joseph Parker, an English Congregationalist preacher of the nineteenth century, once said, “If we, as the church, do not get back to spiritual visions, glimpses of heaven, and an awareness of a greater glory and life, we will lose our faith. Our altar will become nothing but cold, empty stone, never blessed with a visit from heaven.” And this is the world’s need today— people who have seen their Lord.
~from The Lost Art of Meditation
Come close to Him! Perhaps He will take you today to the mountaintop— the same place He took Peter with his blundering, and James and John, the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3: 17), who time and again totally misunderstood their Master and His mission. There is no reason why He will not take you, so do not shut yourself out by saying, “Oh, these wonderful visions and revelations of the Lord are only for certain people!” They may be for you!
~John Thomas McNeill
Reference
Cowman, L. B. E.; Reimann, Jim (2008-09-09). Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings (pp. 420-421). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Categories: spiritual