What i learned from getting stuck on a mountain at night.

YOUR WORD IS A LAMP FOR MY FEET, A LIGHT ON MY PATH. — PSALM 119:105

There was a time in my early twenties where I found myself at the very top of Mount Sinai, right as the sun was setting. 

I had been traveling around the world with my friend Stephanie, and that day we had climbed Mount Sinai with the help of donkeys, a couple of camels, and two bedouins who lived on the mountain. The path had been curvy and challenging, walking along narrow paths as we zigzagged along the side. Never once did it cross my mind that we would need to come back down later that night–or that we had no source of light. 

We spent time at the very top of the mountain watching the most gorgeous sunset, beside a fire, with green tea to drink and long expired Snickers bars that had been offered to us by the few bedouins who were sleeping there that night. And then it dawned on us that it was time to walk back down to the base of the mountain. Alone. Unlike on the way up where we had walked with animals who carried our backpacks, now we were on our own to carry our loads.  

We set off, one step at a time, careful not to trip on rocks or brush along the way, and holding each other’s hands as much as we could, except when we needed to walk single file. While we were timid at first to move quickly, the light from the moon was lighting our way. If we looked out straight, we could not see where we were headed. But, when we looked down, we had exactly the light we needed for each next step. We followed the path, with the beautiful light of the moon, one step at a time, safely to the base of the mountain that night. I think it was 3 or 4 AM when we made it to the bottom. I remember knowing in that moment how much God lit the way for us that night with a full moon. So much of the physical darkness in our daily life is manmade, with our house over our heads, closing off all the light that is provided for us. And just because we aren’t in a position to see the light, doesn’t mean it isn’t there as a constant for us.  

Today, I still know how God lights the way. 

I don’t need to see the whole path. I don’t need to know the struggles I’m going to face along the journey. I just need to keep my eyes set on the light that God provides for me for the very next step I need to take. Now as a mom and wife, the path that we are on as a family has plenty of zigzagging and steep steps. While I want to plan and know every step ahead so that I can prepare for it, I am thankful I don’t need to know all the details. And while I love to take the steps that feel most comfortable, I know that is not always the best path for me. I have his Word, the very words of God the Father guiding me with truth. His word truly is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Because I know who my God is, I can trust him and follow him with confidence—no matter where the path leads. 

Where do you turn when your path is zigzagging? Where does your heart go for comfort and your head go for direction? God promises us that his Word is a lamp and a light, and my challenge to myself and to you is to let the physical light that he provides for us remind us of the living Word he has also given us to light the way.  

Thanks for reading,

April