February 6, 2008

"And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." Genesis 8:4

Here we find the first specific mention of a mountain or mountain range in Scripture. As we open our eyes to the drama depicted here, we learn the story of God’s Grace that is so common to Mountain Top Experiences.

As the ark gently settled atop Mount Ararat, it was the first time Noah and family had felt anything completely solid under their feet for five months. It was another seven months before the doors of the ark would open and they would step out onto dry ground. For one year and ten days they had been confined to the ark. I’m sure that there must have been times of frustration and wonder that filled their hearts. They may have longed to be in their old homes in their own beds. They may have grown weary of being tossed to and fro upon the sea. Surely they must have grown tired of caring for and cleaning up after sea sick animals! But when they stepped out of the ark on that 110th day a new feeling must have come over them.

The world was different now. It almost seemed empty. The only critters were those that had been on the ark. There was no welcoming committee. Nature alone greeted them. They were the lone survivors of a world that had been judged for wickedness. Perhaps they wondered "Why us? Why were we alone spared God’s judgment?" Surely as they reflected on their own lives they could remember sin. They had not been perfect. The key lies in Genesis 6:8. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

It was God’s grace that made the difference. When God offered his grace, Noah believed and received it. His family followed his example while the rest of the world rejected. Others could have joined in this grace if they would have believed and received the shelter of the Ark. But alas there were only eight. As these eight survivors placed the soles of their feet on Mount Ararat they forgot the frustrations of a year at sea and were keenly aware of the Grace of God upon their lives.

We too need to act upon God’s Grace to Go Up to the Mountain. There are most certainly frustrations along the way. But they will all diminish when we become keenly aware of the Grace of God atop the Mountain.