Someone once asked a famous mountain climber why he wanted to climb the mountain. His reply was, "Because it is there." The psalmist put it a different way. He said, "I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth." I suppose it is natural to seek God on the mountain. Mountains are the most majestic things we can find on this earth.

When we do reach a mountain peak, the vista is usually magnificent. On a clear day we can see forever. Yet, we spend most of our time in the valley. It is there we find our sustenance and it is there that we live out our years. If we were always on the mountain, we would never know the inspiration that comes from gazing at the eternal hills. We would never know the hope for something better that is ours when we climb the mountain.

Most of us will never climb a mountain such as Everest or McKinley, but we can continue to climb the small hills that face us in our everyday life. As we reach our own little mountain tops, we can commune with our creator, there at the gateway to heaven. Then we can descend into the valley and live out our days with the memoriesof those mountain top experiences.

There is no time for building tabernacles on the mountain. Much work remains to be done in the valley. It is there that we build the relationships that provide the basis for the next trip to the mountain.