Scaling the Heights
There will be dips
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Two and a half years after I wrote The Mountain View, I was in a difficult situation. My Lord gave me a visual picture that I was in warfare, scaling up the Song of songs mountain. This time the mountain was vertical, making it very difficult, almost impossible to retain my footing and my grasp.
I failed… I lost my footing for a few feet. It seemed like I lost my footing for a mile, but it was only a few feet. I was overwhelmingly disappointed. But the Lord told me – You’re still getting closer to the glory view, closer to sitting in the warm comfort of My arms in transfixed view of the beauty in glory where there will be total joy, total delight, the culmination of all desire!
The Lord was so very kind to strongly encourage me with this visual right in the middle of my failure.
As I wrote 17 years ago in my paper called Freedom from Depression and Anxiety ,
There will be dips.
Sometimes on the upward journey, you will travel downward. We should not be discouraged when we are where the arrow is pointing in the picture below, because this is just part of the journey upward.
Consider these Bible passages:
You have given me the shield of Your salvation, O Lord, and Your right hand upholds me and Your gentleness makes me great. (Psalm 18:35) David, the servant of the Lord, wrote these words after he had been delivered from his enemy.
My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:8) David was in the wilderness of Judah when he wrote these words.
Nevertheless, I am continually with You. You have taken hold of my right hand. (Psalm 73:23) Asaph wrote these words when he was so bitter about his enemy that he was behaving like a beast (as one who didn’t trust God).
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again… (Proverbs 24:16a)
Dearly beloved brothers and sisters,
Keep going, encouraging others along the path to the beautiful land – to Beulah, the married land.
with joy, Beth Ann
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