Half Way Up the Mountain

In Exodus 24, we see the account where Moses went up the Mountain of God. Let's lay out the scene: Moses is ascending to the One his heart yearns for to receive one of the most incredible revelations of all time; Joshua, Moses' assistant, went with him, but was left only half way up the mountain; and the children of Israel were left at the base of the mountain, awestruck as the glory of God consumed the top of the mountain where Moses had gone to. Later, because of a severe lack of patience and self control, the Israelites would fall away from their God and create an idol to worship....all in just 40 days, with the glory of God showing from the mountain! Crazy!

I want to expound on Joshua's position for just a moment, because I find myself in the same position in my life right now. I have been reading The Making of a Leader by Frank Damazio, and he brings a huge revelation out of this passage of Scripture that shook me at my core and I am sure will speak to many of you as well. I am in a "Joshua" stage of life right now, a preparation stage so to speak, half way up the mountain. Above is the glory of God, the vision, the plan, the destiny, and below the party is going on, the distractions, the commotion. Above is my destiny, but lingering below is the temptation to give up and compromise. Ever been there?

During times of preparation, God likes to set us at the middle of the mountain, to truly refine all that lies within us. If we will be the leaders of tomorrow, we must go through the refining that takes place half way up the mountain today. 40 days, the time Joshua spent half way up the mountain, is typically symbolic of a time of trial or testing. God put the future leader of Israel in a place where he was faced with the decision to be faithful and wait on his leader or descend back down the mountain...back to the status quo. He passed the test! I bet ol' Josh had plenty of time to think about his current placement as well. I am sure he heard the commotion and distraction below. I am also sure he saw the Glory above. He also defined who he was while he waited. He had time to hash out all the details and get a clear mind about things. Sometimes, God throws the brakes on us and takes us from a place of doing ministry to defining ministry.

What a cool lesson for those of us that find ourselves with a dream, but only half way up the mountain. That dream will come to fruition as long as are willing to pay the price of preparation to see it through. The price of stretching and building. Sure it hurts, but it is so worth the blood, sweat, and tears. We pray for great things, let us not jump ship when the time comes to pay the great price for it. Wait....the Glory at the mountaintop is greater than the glitter at the bottom.