Where Will You Stand?

"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth." Psalm 33:4

“Truth is timeless. Truth does not differ from on e age to another, from one people to another, from one geographical location to another. Men’s ideas may differ, men’s customs may change, men’s moral codes may vary, but the great all-prevailing Truth stands for time and eternity.”  From Peace With God by Billy Graham

By what standard do we want to measure our lives, behavior and thoughts? As Billy said, man’s standard will change and flex with every passing fancy. How can a secure stable life be built on that kind of standard?

I would rather stand on a mountain during an earthquake than stand on sandy soil. The mountain may rumble, but will stand firm in the turmoil. Sandy ground may be soft and comfortable, but it will swallow us up when the shaking comes. There is a term called liquefaction. It is demonstrated like this:

If you are walking on a beach of damp, firm, hard sand, you feel pretty secure – it feels solid. If you were to crouch down and pat that damp sand with the palm of your hand a few times, that solid sand would soon begin to look like jello. Because of the shaking, the water underneath has risen to the surface to destabilize the solidity of the sand.

Give me the solid rock of truth any day. I can rest on it, trust it, rely on it and not be moved. And even though it might me a rough road at times, God will help me stay true to the standard.

Holy Ground

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”  “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.  Exodus 3:4-6


This passage almost sounds like science fiction. We have all seen the movie The Ten Commandments haven’t we? The scene with Moses at the burning bush is low on special effects, but accurate in dialogue. Moses had been curious when he saw the glow of fire on the mountain, and couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to go see what God looked like – even if it cost him his life.

Moses actually got very close to Jehovah, close enough to be afraid to look at Him. God had to tell him to take off his sandals because the ground around the burning bush was “holy ground.” He called Moses by name. The presence of God was overwhelming for Moses and he was forever changed. He was a chosen man, but still just like you and me.

I have to ask myself, have I ever gotten close enough to God that He would ask me to “remove my sandals” because I stood on holy ground? Have I ever been curious enough about the God whose fire burns on the mountain that I felt compelled to see his face – no matter what the cost?

Maybe a trip to the mountain is what you need today – what we all need. I know I will have to work at allowing God to give me courage to go deeper. I will admit, in some ways, I’m scared. But I know someday I will see him face to face, and I want him to call me by name.