The God On The Mountain

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Last night I went to bed praising and thanking God for saving those 12 miners trapped in a mine in West Virginia.

At 6:00 this morning I turned on the television to get news of how they were doing. I couldn’t believe the message: 12 Miners Dead. 1 Alive.

The families at the church building in West Virginia had been praising God. Now some of them were cursing him. They went from praise to profanity. This is not justifiable—but understandable.

What can I say? Words are not worth much at times like this. I can only give my witness. I am 71 years old. For almost 50 years of ministry with the church I rejoiced with those that rejoiced and wept with those that wept. I helped bury the young and the elderly. I have heard God being praised and I have heard him being cursed. My witness: God is good! My faith in Him is stronger now at 71 years of age than it has ever been. My heart goes out to those broken hearted families in West Virginia and I’m asking Him to give them strength and courage for the lonely days ahead. For reasons known only to Him, He didn’t bring those men out alive. But I believe that He is ALIVE AND HE IS GOD.

I am comforted by Lynda Randal’s singing. Her words go something like this:

Life is easy when you’re upon the mountain,
You’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known.
But things change when you’re down in the valley,
Don’t lose faith for you’re never alone.

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley,
When things go wrong he’ll make them right,
And the God of the good times is still God of the bad times,
The God of the day is still God in the night.

We talk of faith way upon the mountain,
Talk comes so easy when life’s at its best,
Now it’s down in the valley’s trials and temptations
That’s when your faith is really put to the test.