Mount Trust – The Guide

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Last week I shared about our youthful guides who led us on a wrong trail at the beginning of the hike into the heart of the Rockies. Good thing it was early on and the “old guys” still had enough air in our lungs to laugh it off. We continued to trust these guys, not that we had any other choices, yet we believed they had the ability to lead us to our destination and later bring us safely back down the mountain. Trust demands relinquished control; it is placing our lives in the hands of someone or something else.

To survive the challenging journey up Mount Trust involves trust. Proverbs 3:5 directs us to The Guide we are called to trust in this climb, He is “The LORD…” the Jewish word “Yahweh.” This is a powerful name used in Israel’s history to highlight a God who keeps His promises, the Great I AM, who guided His people out of Egypt with His mighty hand and led them miraculously to the Promise Land. This is The Name that finds its fullness in the coming of the Son of God, Jesus, who also claimed himself as the “I AM,” John 8:58. Jesus is The Guide chosen by the Father to lead us up into the mountain of His glorious presence.

Jesus has all the qualifications to take us up Mount Trust; He traveled it before us. This Guide knows the green pastures, the quiet waters, the right paths, the valley of suffering, and the banqueting table. This Guide completely trusted The Father as He traveled up that mountain to the cross, to give his life for our sins. The only way you and I can conquer our epic trek up the Mount is by trusting The Guide, trusting even when we may wonder if He took us on a wrong turn. I will be honest; at times I think The Guide may need some extra help, my help. I think an easier, more scenic trail would be a much better route than the one he has chosen for me. My way would be more of a stroll around a scenic lake, and definitely would not include a 40-pound backpack or any other “cross to bear.” Yet, even this morning in my reading, The Guide said; “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” And then he added this, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it,” Mt. 16:24-25.

Again, I’m reminded that the text does not say, “Trust in Tim…” Tim’s way would never bring me to the place the Father has prepared for me. Tim’s way would only lead to a loss of my soul. A dear friend Barb emailed me the following in response to last week’s blog. She gave me permission to share it; her words are a fitting way to conclude.

When I read about the 45-50 lb. backpacks, I can’t help but think of our journey up Mount Trust. The weight carried…weights of life, grief etc. We continue up the Mountain trusting…Fixing our eyes on Jesus….knowing He will meet us and give Life and rest, eternally. Amen!!!! 

May you TRUST the GREAT I AM, our GUIDE, on this day-to-day journey!

 

 

 

Mount Trust – The Invitation to Trust

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As a pastor I have received many invitations, invitations to graduations, weddings, anniversaries, and conferences. However, a few years back I got an invitation I just couldn’t pass up. It was an invitation to join others pastors who wanted to experience God away from the distractions of every day life and this would be accomplished by spending a few days hiking into the wilderness of the Colorado Rockies. I jumped at the chance and invited my friend and co-pastor Bryan to sign up as well!

Climbing Mount Trust always starts with an invitation to follow God to a place you have never been before; it is a summons to trust. With Proverbs 3:5-6 as our guide up this mountain, pay attention to the very first word “Trust…” As we study God’s Word and the people who climbed this mountain, notice they were invited to step out of the known and trust God to lead them to the right path. Remember father Abraham, who at the age of 75 was asked to leave his home and relatives and follow God to a land that was foreign to him. What 75-year-old wants to pick up and leave a comfortable life and journey 1500 miles to start all over again? Abraham’s journey started with an invitation of radical trust!

As we enter the Christmas season, recall that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God,” Luke 1:35. Some pretty unusual words for a virgin teenage girl to comprehend don’t you think? Yet, this is what we see over and over again in God’s Word, and what about you and me? Are we willing to accept the invitation to follow God the Father in a radical trust relationship?

The senior citizen Abraham and the teen Mary did not have all the details presented to them, they were lacking clarity to what exactly the future held, yet they clung to the promise that God the Father would lead them as a shepherd leads his sheep to green pastures. As a result of their invitation to trust one step at a time, Abraham makes his way up the mountain to become the “father of all who believe,” Romans 4:11, and Mary’s gigantic yes to the hike birthed the Savior of the World. These ordinary individuals display vivid pictures of trust and are a testimony to us!

Everyday when the alarm goes off we are invited to trust the Father with our lives. To say, “yes” to the hike even though we haven’t been given all the details. Each morning He invites us to come on a journey up Mount Trust with Him. What is the Father inviting you to trust Him with at this time in your life? Take some time this week and ask the Father to show you where He’s calling you to climb Mount Trust, where He is saying to you “follow me.”

Okay, for those of you wondering how the invitation to the Rocky Mountains ended up. When our team of pastors arrived at the trailhead with our 45-50 pound backpacks with every thing we needed for the next five days, we were surprised to find that our guides were college students! This was an interesting scenario of trust as most pastors are used to being the ones leading, however none of us “more experienced ones” had any idea where we were supposed to go! Our “young” guides only took us on one wrong turn and eventually we ended up at a tranquil spot where we could set up our camp. The quiet days of sunrises, sunsets, singing and studying God’s Word alone and with the group was a wonderful time of experiencing God in new and fresh ways. However, my friend Bryan experienced a much deeper level of trust, God’s protection, and the answered prayers of his wife for safety, as a mountain lion also liked the spot where Bryan was having his quiet time.

 

 

Mount Trust – The Father’s Call

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I have a favorite T-shirt with the words from the famous explorer John Muir that reads, “The Mountains are calling and I must go!” I love the mountains because of their majestic beauty no matter what season of the year. To me the mountains are always full of mystery, always a new place’s to explore and full of surprises from sudden storms to stunning wildlife. I can’t remember a time where I have not left my wanderings in the mountains without being revived in the depths of my spirit.

One time I put together a series on famous mountains in the Bible. In this study I discovered that a lot of amazing things took place on mountains. Perhaps you remember Abraham’s hike of faith up Mount Moriah with his only son Isaac following God’s word to sacrifice this son of promise and God’s divine intervention with a ram in the bush. What about Moses on Mount Sinai where he received the 10 commandments and saw the backside of God’s glory and heard His voice.

One of my favorite mountain stories is Elijah on Mount Carmel where he faces off with 450 prophets of Baal and proves the power of the God of Israel; He alone is the LORD God of the nations. The greatest of all mountain scenes is when Jesus hiked up Mount Moriah, the same mountain Abraham did with his son, this time God the Father sends his beloved Son up the mountain with a cross on His back. That mountain changed everything bringing the Father’s love and forgiveness to sinners through His beloved Son.

If you read up on these mountain scenes you will notice each of these hikes demanded a radical trust in Father God. As a result the Father met each climber on these mountains with His glorious life transforming power. Over this last year I have heard the Father calling me to Mount Trust, a journey of radical trust beyond anything I had every experienced before. I’m still hiking and learning as I venture up this mysterious, scary, and yet exhilarating mountain. I’d like to invite you to join me on this climb for the next few weeks. Our guide up Mount Trust will be a text I memorized as a young boy and you may have as well:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

These 28 words have jumped off the page and into my heart these last several months and have helped me climb through the clouds of uncertainty to new vistas of the Father’s faithfulness and love. I pray the Holy Spirit will make this text alive for you as well in our journey up Mount Trust.

 

 

The Gift of the Father – The Position of Thanksgiving

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This past weekend Patty and I helped lead a Marriage Retreat in beautiful Indian Wells, California. I can’t lie the dessert sun was a nice break from shoveling snow in Colorado. We were blessed to be apart of this event that sought to refresh and revive marriages in the midst of a cultural war that continues to fight against this union of a husband and wife that God has ordained from the beginning of creation.

I started out the conference by sharing Paul’s epic prayer found in

Ephesians 3:14-21.

For this reason I KNEEL before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name…

Paul goes on to pray that these children of God would be filled with the power and love of Heaven that words can’t describe and leads to the Father being glorified through their lives. The challenge that I presented was to kneel together before the Father for the next 40 days and pray that the Holy Spirit would fill them with resurrection POWER of Christ and the sacrificial LOVE demonstrated by Christ on the cross. With these indescribable gifts of the Father a richer and the fuller marriage is possible and a richer and fuller life as individuals as well.

At end of the retreat Patty and I kneelt down and asked the others to join us as together we pleaded for the Faithful Father’s power and love to flow down like a mighty river our marriages. It was a powerful moment as the tears begin to flow and the Spirit was released over that room. The picture of that moment will be seared in my mind for a long time as we acknowledged our weakness and total dependence on the Father and desired His good gifts for marriage.

To me kneeling is such a powerful position to offer with a spirit of Thanksgiving. At the beginning of this prayer in Ephesians, Paul states that he is going to the ground before a glorious, humbling himself before a Holy Father who is the only one worthy of praise and who can provide His children. Being on our knees is a picture of total dependence and I believe is a powerful action that shows our absolute need for the Father and this action gives Him glory and praise.

Maybe before you have your Turkey and all the other yummy dishes to get down on your knees and give your Father thanks by showing how needy and dependent you are on Him for everything in your life. May this spiritual posture carry you through the Christmas season! Go ahead and ask your Good Father to flood you and your loved ones with Heavens power and love and wait with great expectations for the unveiling of these gifts that are on their way.

Happy Thanksgiving from Oceans and the Spykstra family!

The Gift of the Father – When God Shows Up

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“This is what happens when God shows up!” This a quote from a powerful movie Patty and I went to the other night called “Woodland.” If I had the money I would send everyone I know to check it out. Yes, I loved it because it was based on a true story about a football team in Birmingham, Alabama in 1973, and featured an unexpected high school athlete, Tony Nathan. But the movie is so much more than awesome football action; it is the amazing story of the reaction to when the Holy Spirit unexpectantly brings revival to a team, a racially divided school ready to close down, and to a hurting community.

Hollywood could never have created a script like the one you encounter in this movie. Only God could get the credit for bringing an uninvited chaplain to speak to football team at a school filled with hate. This courageous man preached the simple Gospel, shared about forgiveness, and guess what? It spread like wild fire and brought Heavens love to heal and break down demonic strongholds. One of my favorite scenes in the movie was when a prayer service broke out in the gym that lasted for 3 days. It was powerful, authentic and unscripted! Many were brought to faith in Jesus by the powerful move of the Holy Spirit.

“Woodlawn” brought me back to my childhood days in the early 70’s where each Sunday I watched people commit their lives to Christ. It was not at all surprising for a Sunday night service to go on for 2 to 3 hours, and the truth was that no one wanted to leave. Even as a young boy I sensed something miraculous. Truly the preaching of the Word came with Heaven’s power and for a season that church was filled with a powerful transforming love.

Maybe that is why I continue to daily pray for another Great Outpouring in our day. Only an invasion of Heaven can heal the deep wounds in hearts, families, churches, our nation and the world. What are the answers for global terrorism, demonic racism, the god’s of materialism and greed, and religious systems that are man centered? Will our political system fix it? How about a better educational program? Maybe throwing more money at the problems or having perfectly constructed worship services? Are these the answers to heal all life’s social ills? No, I believe there is only “One Way,” that slogan that was used in the Jesus Movement in the 70’s. How we need Heaven’s love to visit us once again, a fresh revelation of the Father’s love through His Son made real by the Holy Spirit.

Go see the movie, take your family and friends, and have a good talk afterwards. May this movie challenge you to pray, to be bold, and believe in a day where we can say, “This is what happens when God shows up!” 

“LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.”

Habakkuk 3:2