The Mountain View

The Mountain View
Transfixed by His Glory
Print the PDF

When I was a teenager, my family vacationed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I vividly remember sitting on top of a huge sand dune at dusk to see the view of the shoreline. I remember the deep loneliness I felt, wanting to share the experience with a forever-partner who would love me always no matter what.

In the beautiful poem from Scripture, The Song of Songs[1], the Bridegroom (Yeshua) calls His bride (us) to the mountaintop to share the view with Him! It is not a place of attainment but of rest with her Beloved where she sees clearly. They rest in each other’s arms and gaze into the light of the future. It is a place of joy, rest, security, and motivation.

The Lord wants to share the mountain view with me. He actually wants me to live there in the Spirit. In this intimate place, He shows me life from His perspective. He wants to share it with you, too. Come with me as I picture this place…

The Mountain View
The Lord calls me up to the top of the mountain. I am sitting there. Sometimes I stand to turn around. I can see the path behind me – a path of missteps, misunderstandings, misguidances, striving, loneliness, rejection, and also joy, learning, friendship, and communion. Then, He invites me to turn around, and I look in the other direction; the path that awaits me is full of light. 

In the distance, I see a vibrant, beautiful land. It is called Beulah. (Isaiah 62:4) Beulah is the Hebrew word for married. In this land, all the chosen who have received the Lamb will sit at His marriage supper (Revelation 19:7-9). I am with Him now seeing dimly, but then “I will know fully just as I also have been fully known by Him…” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Transfixed By His Glory
With my hope fixed on this land, I am energized by His Spirit in my current work on this earth. What a paradox! I am transfixed by His beauty and the future glory, while productive here at the same time!
(Please see 1 Peter 1:13; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:51; Revelation 22:20)
 
Years ago, I read a book, Gifts of an Eagle, about a family who found and raised a baby eagle they named Lady. They discovered her ability to make surprising associations, to connect the dots, and to make conclusions from observation. Then, the time finally came to help Lady soar on her own, so they made a trip to the Grand Canyon to set her free. I wrote this excerpt from the book in my 1994 journal:

The next morning, we took Lady out to the point overlooking the canyon and let her perch on a rock. From this point she could see the opposite rim 13 miles away; she could also see up and down the canyon for 100 miles and, a mile below, the Colorado River winding its way. She was literally transfixed by the view. For hours she sat on the same rock, just staring down into the canyon. She made no attempt to fly; she ignored everyone, including me, and acted almost as if she were in a trance. She scarcely noticed the swooping jays overhead scolding her, and to top it off, she completely ignored food. Wouldn’t even look at it!... The second day was not different. Again, she stared fixedly off into the canyon. A live gopher was turned loose for her, and she allowed the rodent to walk right across her feet and didn’t make a move. This was incredible!

Eventually, Lady left her perch and soared through the canyon. She never returned.
 
Are we in awe, transfixed by His beauty and grandeur? Does the glory of our hope give us energy for each day? We have each been given different gifts of the Spirit and each gift has a variety of effects. The original Greek word for effect is energéo. The Holy Spirit is the resurrection energy behind our gifts. Our hope with Him gives us momentum to soar in His purposes. (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

“Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31)

“Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; they will behold a far-distant land.” (Isaiah 33:17)

The Song
In 2016, while I was thinking about The Mountain View and the Song of Songs, the Lord gave me a song! My husband and I had to travel unexpectedly to Atlanta. When we arrived, his father took us to a concert. Lo and behold, there we were, at a tiny, packed, church in Powder Springs, Georgia for an old-time Gospel concert! We sang, swung our hands, and danced!

Then the music quieted, and Nikki Shaw sang Is Not This the Land of Beulah? [2]  I loved it! The melody and words express our hope and the mountain view: 

Here are two links to hear the song – https://youtu.be/yZXlh6h0hVs and https://youtu.be/RR-6PrCVIXQ

I am dwelling on the mountain,
Where the golden sunlight gleams
O’er a land whose wondrous beauty
Far exceeds my fondest dreams;
Where the air is pure, ethereal,
Laden with the breath of flowers,
That are blooming by the fountain,
’Neath the amaranthine bowers.

Chorus
Is not this the land of Beulah?
Blessed, blessed land of light,
Where the flowers bloom forever,
And the sun is always bright!

I can see far down the mountain,
Where I wandered weary years,
Often hindered in my journey
By the ghosts of doubt and fears;
Broken vows and disappointments
Thickly scattered all the way,
But the Spirit led unerring,
To the land I hold today.  Chorus

I am drinking at the fountain,
Where I ever would abide,
For I’ve tasted life’s pure river,
And my soul is satisfied;
There’s no thirst for earthly pleasures,
Nor adorning rich and gay,
For I’ve found a richer treasure,
One that fadeth not away.  Chorus

Tell me not of heavy crosses,
Nor the burdens hard to bear,
For I've found this great salvation
Makes each burden light appear;
And I love to follow Jesus,
Gladly counting all but dross,
Worldly honors all forsaking
For the glory of the cross.  Chorus

Oh! the cross has wondrous glory!
Oft I’ve proved this to be true,
When I’m in the way so narrow,
I can see a pathway through;
And how sweetly Jesus whispers,
“Take the cross, thou need’st not fear,
For I've trod the way before thee,
And the glory lingers near.”  Chorus

Love and shalom,  
Beth Ann
-  The image for this writing is a view from the top of the No. 9-10 sand dune on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore, Michigan. I have spent hours sitting there on sunny days. It is particularly ethereal as the sun lowers in the sky casting more glistening sparkles on the water.

 [1] The Song of Songs studies are at ShaleFragments.com – Song of Songs (A Preface, An Overview, Part 1 of 5, Part 2 of 5, and Part 3 of 5).

[2] Is Not This the Land of Beulah? was written by Irishman William Hunter in the 1850s. He eventually ministered in Ohio.

Shale Fragments™ - devotionals by Beth Ann Phifer is a division of Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. ©2020, All Rights Reserved.
Blessings and love in Him,
Beth Ann