The Mountain of the Dragon

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
(Psalm 97:5 NIV)

The mountain range that stands guard on the eastern border between Lesotho and South Africa has two names. The Afrikaans name is “Drakensberg and means “mountain of the dragon.” The Zulu people call it “Quathlamba” [kwat-lahm-buh] meaning “barrier of pointed spears.” Both names give you an idea of the topology of the range. Mammoth and awe-inspiring with massive peaks soaring into the sky.

After a relatively easy hike up the foothills, you arrive on the escarpment and now the dragon looms over you, dark and forbidding, daring you to climb further. Sometimes the eerie sound of baboons’ howls echo through the crags. The mountain stands firm, impenetrable, overwhelming, everlasting.

Do you have a mountain like that in your life? A mountain of pain, of guilt, of loss, of betrayal, of anger, of unforgiveness. A mountain you may have tried to climb again and again, with no success. It is too steep, too rocky. You set out each time with buoyant hope that this time you will scale the peak. But once again, your legs give out, your knees become weak, and you collapse in a heap. Despair of ever making it to the top overcomes you and discouragement sets in.

Don’t give up. Your mountain can be conquered but you will never scale it under your own steam. You need the One who can move mountains to come to your side. Mountains are His specialty. He made them. He can move them. Take your mountain to Him and lay it at His feet. He will take your hand and help you conquer it. He may even melt it away. Whatever action He chooses, you can be sure that, in His infinite wisdom, He will choose the one that is best for you.

Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit says the Lord (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV)