“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
JOHN 14:27
We often find peace in the mountains. Part of it comes merely from being away from all the distraction, the noise, the to-do lists, and the crowds. But there is more to it than that. Many people feel close to God in the mountains. Whether we’re there for a short walk or a multi-week hike, we experience God’s power, His creative genius, and His intimate knowledge of what we need. The Lord knew that all people would have troubled hearts. One of His ministries, throughout history, has been to comfort people.
A quick search of the words mountain, mountains, heights, and hills in a concordance or online resource shows that these high places were the location for many notable events in Scripture. Genesis 7:19 tells us the ark floated above the high mountains. Later it came to rest on Mount Ararat, where Noah found peace and the Lord was worshipped. Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. David hid in the mountains and wrote many psalms praising the Lord. Elijah’s showdown with the priests of Baal took place on Mount Carmel.
Sadly, some people twisted the goodness of the mountains. They built places to worship false gods on high places. These were often torn down by godly kings during the Old Testament era.
Hills and mountains saw momentous events in the New Testament as well. Jesus gave rich teaching to a crowd on a mountainside; it became known as the Sermon on the Mount. Of course, the height of a hill or mountain is no measure of the events that happened there. The cross raised on a hill outside Jerusalem is the source of our forgiveness, and the empty tomb, carved into the hillside, gives us the reason for all peace.