I travel a lot and that means I fly a lot. I don’t always get the chance to sit in the window seat because — well, it’s a lot of effort lifting me over two or three seats to the one on the window. But when I can, I love looking out the window when we fly. I especially enjoy flying over the Rocky Mountains. Looking down on those peaks... snow-crested mountains... so awesome, so majestic!
And something happens to me (this is hard to explain) but something happens when I stare out the window for long periods. Watching a mountain coming up in the distance... slowly it draws nearer... and then silently, it passes underneath us.
The world seems a little less crazy when you’re in a quiet airplane up 35,000 feet above those high mountains. You’ve got a different perspective. The world and its problems seem a little less overwhelming. Pressures seem less pressing. Sitting at that window seat staring at those mountains has something to do with it.
I think this is why I like Psalm 61 so much. Especially that verse which says, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” When our world presses in on us and when deadlines circle like vultures, when commitments and people’s expectations cut into our shoulders like a heavy backpack, we need a vantage point. We need to get above it all. We need to move higher so we can look down on things.
God is that Rock that is higher than you or I. By spending time with Him in the high places of His Word, you can’t help but gain a better view on your life. He is the mountain towering over our smoggy horizons. Life viewed from His heights can clear your mind like nothing else.
Trouble is... airplanes have a way of landing, don’t they? And as soon as they open the door on that jet, the rush and the noise and the harried, hurried scattering to rush to get where you need to go... well, pressures start rising. Maybe, like me, you’ve had one whirlwind of a month and you face demands from your families and frustrations at work and commitments at church and expectations from friends and you feel your heart growing fainter. You may not be able to get on a plane and grab the window seat, but you can get a higher perspective... you can get above it and look down on things. You can be led to the rock that is higher than where you are...
From the summit of His love, you’ll see things as they really are.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
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