Never Stop Speaking to Mountains

“Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your rivers of delight. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.”

Psalm 36:5-9

Mountains, mountains, mountains.

Friday was one of my favorite days ever. We went to the waterfalls at Kulen Mountain in Siem Reap with our kids. The falls were STUNNING and the smiles on our kids’ faces were priceless. It was pure joy.

However, when we got back to Battambang Saturday, I was feeling very drained from the long week and wishing I could be back in the States to be with my church family the next morning. Seeing that I’m still on the other side of the world and 12 hours ahead, I had to settle for listening to the podcast of Pastor Earl’s sermon on the 12 Stones of our church. The two stones he covered were 1) we speak to mountains and 2) we see with eyes of hope.

The Lord continually astounds me by how perfectly He knows my heart and tends to my needs. Pastor Earl’s message was exactly what I needed to hear that day.
A little recap: In 2 Chronicles 14, King Asa is faced with the vast Kushite army. His response is to call on the Lord, proclaiming who He is. By the power of God, King Asa and his army defeat the Kushites. In Matthew 11, Jesus commands us to have faith in God and speak to the mountains we face. King Asa had faith in God and he spoke to the mountain he faced. In the same way, we face mountains in our lives that try to tell us we can’t overcome them. But God calls us to fight and believe that when we speak to the mountains that He is greater, He will conquer them and take us to the tops to experience His abundant freedom.

A mountain I had been facing this month was feeling like I had no purpose here in Cambodia. I can’t speak our kids’ language and they’re pretty self-sufficient. I kept asking myself, does being here really make a difference? Can I really make them feel loved? I had to speak to this mountain and say that my God is greater than these lies. He doesn’t call me to places where He won’t use me.

I put my faith in God and, over and over, I have seen Him conquer this mountain.

One of my favorite moments of the entire trip took place on the truck ride up to Kulen Mountain. Kiri, one of our older boys that has captured my heart, fell asleep in my lap. Kiri is kind of a “tough guy” and doesn’t receive love and affection well, so it was really special that he was vulnerable with me. His face was so peaceful and his breathing so calm, I couldn’t help but cry. I saw the Lord conquering the mountain that said I had no purpose here. Kiri felt safe with me. He felt loved.

I also cried because I realized I would never get to experience this moment again. We leave in just a few days to go back to the States and I won’t be able to hold Kiri or our other kids and let them know how deeply loved they are. I refuse to go home and forget about them. But how can I love them from the other side of the world?

I must speak to their mountains the triumphant name of the Lord.

Not only does God call us to speak to the mountains in our own lives, but also to those in the lives of others. When I look in our kids’ eyes, I see that they are facing some serious mountains. Mountains of abuse, neglect, homelessness, loneliness, hurt, pain, unforgiveness, and despair. Their mountains tell them that they will never be off the streets, they will never have a bed to sleep in, they will never have parents to love on them, they will never be healed from sickness, they will always have to beg for food, and they will always have to live in fear.

But we serve a God who promises to take us to the tops of mountains where His waters roar and crash over the lies of the enemy.

I want to speak to the mountains that our kids face and see with eyes of hope for them. Lord, I want to continue loving these kids by relentlessly calling on you, proclaiming who You are: our nourishment, our refuge, our shelter, our Father, our healer, our provider, our solid rock.

Being persistent in prayer is something I know the Lord wants me to grow in and I know this is a way I can practice loving deeper. I don’t believe that where these kids are now is God’s final word, and I don’t want to stop praying for them until I see that their mountains have been conquered and the Lord has taken them to the tops to enjoy the roaring waterfalls of His sovereignty.

The pure joy that the kids experienced at Kulen Mountain was just a foretaste of the eternal joy they will experience in Christ Jesus.

“The LORD is faithful in all He says; He is gracious in all He does. The LORD helps the fallen and lifts up those bent beneath their loads. All eyes look to you for help; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness. The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cries for help and rescues them. The LORD protects all those who love Him, but He destroys the wicked. I will praise the LORD, and everyone on earth will bless His holy name forever and forever.”

Psalm 145:13-21