“Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.
Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:3-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We all yearn for closeness with God, to have that David-heart and Enoch-walk. If you’re anything like me, reading though scripture can often be discouraging as we learn of these heroes of the Bible, even the hopelessly messed up ones, that seemed to have found some sort of magic wand in their relationship with the Father. We see them walking with Him, visiting Him, eating with Him, even conversing with Him- in very real and very physical ways. I yearn for that kind of intimacy. I pray for those kind of mountain-top experiences with Yahweh.

And yet they seem so far out of reach. They seem unattainable, despite the yearnings of my heart, and completely out of the realm of possibility in this too hectic, too modern world we live in. I just can’t seem to find a place quiet enough to hear Him like Samuel did, or a situation calm enough to speak with Him like Moses. I feel like somewhere along the way I missed a side road that would lead to a more full communion with my Savior…

So what to do?

Perhaps a better question is what does the Bible tell us to do? How do we gain access to the mountain of the Lord?

By climbing it dear ones!
Step by step, one foot in front of the other.

A mountaintop experiential relationship with God is no small thing and takes a lot of spiritual climbing and hard work to get there. As any climber will tell you ascending a mountain takes determination, training, the right equipment (nothing that will weigh you down or has no purpose), and discipline. The climb is hard, there’s nothing easy about it… it’s not for the faint of heart but neither is the climb up God’s holy mountain.

Pure hands

Pure hearts

No worship of idols

No telling lies

The ‘magic’ formula is laid out plainly in scripture- God gives us His instructions on how to worship in His presence. He tells us how to train, what to bring, where to step. Scripture gives us a primer on how to be welcomed onto holy ground- the mountain of the Lord.

So, today if your heart’s desire matches my own to seek and ascend to the holy place, let us examine our route, our discipline in the climb, and the baggage we’re carrying.

Are our hearts and hands pure?
What idols burden our steps?
What lies remain on our lips and in our souls?

Today I challenge you to be diligent and determined in reaching the holy mountaintop. The climb is never easy but it is worth it!