Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Small Church Shepherd: On The Mountain With God


Being alone in a solitary place can be a good experience when you need to hear from God and are in need of his guidance. During one critical period in my ministry when I was developing a major new program, I desperately needed to be certain of God’s guidance. I needed to hear from the Lord and believe that my team and I were listening to him. I asked each team member to get alone for a full day to pray and seek the Lord. One member spent the day on a mountain in Vancouver, British Columbia. The report that he brought to the next meeting became the cornerstone of a ministry that has served well even to this day.

Moses had such an encounter with God, although for him it was totally unplanned. Moses had long ago given up on helping his people. He was completely overcome and extremely resistant to do what he was hearing. God was the initiator in this situation. As a result of this meeting with God on a mountain, the course of Moses’ life was changed dramatically--not only Moses’ life, but the course of a nation and the world. Moses came back to Mount Sinai two more times—on his return to Egypt where he met his brother Aaron, where the two became an invincible team, and again after the victorious deliverance from Egypt where the Israelites formally became the nation of God. It was on this mountain that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and other laws that would govern the nation and become the basis of many civilizations to come.

All leaders need such times alone with God. Whether on a mountain in Vancouver or in the Sinai Peninsula, important events begin when God puts his hand on an individual. When God wants to do an important work he begins by preparing a leader. Read more

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