I got to church early Sunday morning and set up my computer and the projector, got my mic on. Then I rested (still dealing with fatigue). Bob had moved one of the rockers out of the nursery to the back of the church so I could sit before the service. I opened up YouTube and played some of my favorite music videos and prayed as I waited for people to arrive. One of the selections that came up was Lynda Randle singing “God on the Mountain.” (Link below)
I cannot say for certain, but I suspect the idea for “God on the Mountain” came from 1 Kings 20. That chapter tells of an assault on King Ahab and the Kingdom of Israel by Ben-hadad King of Aram (with 32 other kings). Ben-hadad first invited Ahab to surrender and allow Israel to be plundered. When Ahab refused, Ben-hadad and his armies took up positions against the capital city of Samaria.
A prophet came to Ahab and promised that God would hand over Ben-hadad’s great army in defeat, which is exactly what happened.
After the defeat, Ben-hadad decided to come back next spring and try again. His reasoning was that the “gods (of Israel) are gods of the hill country … we should fight with them on the plain.” [vs 23 HCSB]
In the spring, once again faced with Ben-hadad’s great army, a prophet of God promised Ahab, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans have said: Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over all this great army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” [vs 28 HCSB]
Of course, God’s promise held true. The God on the Mountain was also God in the valley. And as the lyrics of the song say, He’s God in the good times and God in the bad times. The God of the day is still God of the night.
It is not about where we are right this moment – on a mountain or in a valley. It is not about whether we are enduring a long night or delighting in the sunlight. It is not about good times or bad. No, it is NOT about where we are … it is all about WHO He is!
Lynda Randle - God On the Mountain (Live) - Bing video
