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Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God. While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing. (Luke 9: 28-43)
Greetings from Saint Louis, Missouri, dear Friend! I trust this finds you and yours doing well. We are still in need of your prayers for the Lord to guide and bless our time together here in St. Louis. It may prove to be an interesting time together. We pray come, Holy Spirit, come!
There have been very holy moments in my life, as I suspect there have been those for you as well. Take for example. a weekend retreat, where one feels the love and presence of God and one wishes for the event to never end, for we know that when the event ends, so will the mountaintop experience for us. My early mountain top experiences were held in the beauty of Mount Wesley, where for the life of me, these were not hills, thought I, a boy from Kingsville, these are mountains! What made them more so were the prayers, sermons, songs, fellowship, and encounters with Jesus. Many were the lives touched and transformed, and a significant number of campers experienced the call into ordained ministry. And as the camp or retreat ended, so did the holiness of the moments just spent together with God.
After Jesus has spent some incredible moments displaying God's power in Him, He takes His inner circle up to the mountain to pray. The mountains were important to Him and He found space and time on them to pray; and this day was no different. This time of prayer comes at a crucial point of His ministry; He knew the end was coming and He needed time alone with His Father. He brings Peter, James, and John with Him, because He knew He could depend on them to support Him and to be witnesses where they could affirm what they had seen with Him. And it was on this day that the splendor of Heaven shone in Jesus. Jesus' face shone forth the glory of Heaven, and His clothing also dazzled in a brightness that the three disciples had never seen before. And, to top this experience off, two men appear beside Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit present with them, they knew the two men to be Moses and Elijah. Though they were weighed down with sleep, they stayed awake (wouldn't you?) and knew the importance of this event and experienced the awesomeness of God. Yet, being human and surprised at the same time, they did not know how to respond to this event. Peter comes up with the idea of building three shelters, one for each of these great spiritual leaders. This gets interrupted by a voice from Heaven that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!" The mountaintop experience was awesome; the three were blessed who witnessed it, as was Jesus who was in need of this affirmation from God. The retreat was over, and down the mountain they went.
As happens to many of us, while we feel we have changed in a mighty way during a camp or retreat, the reality is that the world we left behind is just as we left it. There are bills to be paid, laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, time with family to be spent, and those who disliked us are still around and still ready to pounce on us. Satan knows that nothing can deflate the high of a mountaintop experience like a sharp word of criticism or rebuke. In Jesus' case, His ministry continued, and that with those in the deepest part of misery and need. And nothing like being asked by a man whose son was demon-possessed, to be freed. The man had asked the nine disciples who had stayed behind but they were unable to rid the demon from the boy. Jesus rebukes the generation as being faithless and perverse, and Jesus states the need for Him to be with them, and asks for the boy to be brought to Him. The demon tries to hurt the more once more, but he was no match for the power of God in Jesus, and the boy is healed. The response of the crowd was amazement at the greatness found in Jesus and all that He was able to do.
In all circumstances, God is with us; the great and the not-so-great. Sometimes we marvel and/or stumble in trying to make sense of the greatness of God in our lives. Regardless, God is good. And sometimes we sink low into the harshness of life and its realities; still, God is with us. The main reality is that we need to stay with God, trust Him, and share Him like no other; for the world still needs the marvel and majesty of the Lord. Whatever it may be that is making your marvel or miserable, stop long enough to know that God is with you; Jesus will see you through.
PRAYER: Loving God, guide and bless us into Thy purpose and meaning of this life. Bless this dear reader with either the marvel or misery they may be feeling, and bring them Your victory. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Make people marvel at the mystery of God's presence in your life!
Eradio Valverde
P.S. A Happy Anniversary to my darling wife, Nellie for putting up with me these past 41 years! I thank God for you! And I love you!
