The Mountaintop
by Joe Hickman,
HaLife.com
Jesus took me to the mountaintop the other day.
Now wait
a minute! Don't smirk me off. I'm not a kook. Jesus takes people to the mountaintop all the time.
A mountaintop experience is simply a
wonderful feeling, a condition so joyful we likely will never forget it. A journey of such wonder, the only possible explanation is that Jesus
was there and He did it.
He doesn't take me to the mountaintop all that often. Probably because I
stay too busy to go.
Jesus in Waco
My wife and I were in Central
Texas a few weeks ago to celebrate our granddaughter Casey's birthday. It was not a big
celebration, just Casey, her mom Carrie and dad Brian, and us.
We had planned to take the birthday girl out to dinner at the place of her
choice. But she preferred to order pizza in and watch "High School Musical-2" instead.
So
Brian arrived with Papa
John's best birthday pizza and we all plopped onto the sofa to party.
To be honest, I figured Casey, celebrating
only her 7th birthday, was too young for "High School Musical-2," but as usual I had no idea what I was thinking about.
The music started and it became quite obvious Casey not only knew the lyrics to every song, but also all the dance moves.
It was a delightful movie and I think Casey was pleased we enjoyed it.
Mount Up
Then, the next
morning, my trip upward began.
Casey and her Grammy had been playing most of the morning, when
Casey came and said, "Grandad, you want to come play in my room? I think Grammy needs a rest."
"Sure!" I said and
we headed for her room.
She was the teacher; I was the class. With two full
weeks of first grade experience, Casey knew exactly how to run a classroom. I sat on a very small chair and began working on my "learning plan" for
the day.
As Casey breezed through several lessons, I kept noticing the karaoke machine over in one corner. We had
bought it two Christmases ago and I thought it was pretty cool. But I had never heard Casey sing.
She's only 7
So after a while, I asked her if the Karaoke machine
still worked and could she sing me a song?
She said, "Sure," and plopped in a CD.
As
she grabbed a microphone, the music blasted out. Very upbeat. Very similar, I thought, to the music in "High School Musical-2."
She came right in on cue and began lifting me up.
"I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When your face is before me...."
At first, I couldn't believe how good Casey could sing. A 7-year-old with terrific
pitch, and a really good voice. I was a little surprised there were no dance moves involved.
"I can only imagine.
"I can only imagine."
I think I've heard that song," I thought, as she belted out the chorus.
"Surrounded by your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus,
Or in awe of you be still? "
Suddenly, a lump in my throat almost choked me. This child. and her recorded
background singers, are singing to our Lord!
And as I listened intently,
the initial emotion melted away into total joy.
"Will I stand in your presence,
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?"
"I can only imagine ."
I can
neither describe nor explain the joy I felt that September
Saturday morning, listening to this child,
not perform, but sing to Jesus for her Granddad.
And as she finished the first song and I gushed how great it was and begged for another, she
seemed happy to oblige.
"You're my strength
and you are my salvation,
I will put my trust in you;
My heart sings
in you my soul rejoices
in this song of praise to you."
At that moment, I wanted Casey to sing forever.
"And here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God;
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me."
I had had similar mountaintop experiences before. When Carrie was about 9 and sang as Mrs. Noah in a church
play. When as a teenager she sang "The Old Rugged Cross," not because it was one of her favorites but because the older members of
her congregation loved the song so.
I asked Casey if she had sung with Dad in big church. She said no, but he wants her to sing sometime.
Carrie told us Brian has asked her to sing on Sunday morning, but Casey says, "I'm not ready for that yet."
Brian is youth minister at
a church near Waco. He and Casey sometimes sing for the teens on Wednesday night.
I pray daily for the three of them. That God
will protect them, give them even more wisdom, and bless their service.
I know Jesus takes us up the mountain to inspire us to mount
up as eagles and to get back down where He wants us, among those who need to be lifted up.
He lifts us,
so we can lift others.
He loves
us, so we can love others. What a marvelous plan!
He is altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to us.
And He has made me one happy Granddad.
" I Can Only Imagine"
copyright ©1999 by MercyMe
"Here I Am to Worship" copyright ©2002 by
Sparrow Records
