Do the mountains hope?

Majestic. Imperious. Challenging. Immovable. Awesome. Inspiring. All these things and more.

But, do they hope?

What would a mountain hope for? It’s a mountain. It’s inanimate. But, if it had hopes, what would they be?

To stretch taller? To grow steeper? To hold greater forests? To gaze upon beautiful valleys? To host a ski resort? To be difficult to climb? Or maybe relocate to a new mountain range altogether? If mountains were sentient as humans, they might hope just as we do.

Our hopes arise from our experiences, our desires, and our dreams. Our hopes are influenced by our family, our education, and our personalities. Our hopes are tempered by our realities, our past, and our fears. We all have hopes. We are human. Humans hope.

When we look at our world with a raging pandemic, political division, racial tension, economic concerns, and even greater potential national crises ahead, our fears are real and hopes are challenged. We would do well to recall Psalm 46:2-3.

“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.”

No matter what—catastrophic geologic calamities included—we won’t fear. Why? Psalm 46:1 gives us the because.

“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.”

We don’t fear because of where we put our trust. Not our nation. Not a politician or a party. Not our economy. Not our wits. Not our family or friends. God.

Psalm 25:1-3 adds trust to our hope based on God. It’s a prayer we can offer when we’re fearful of challenged. It holds profound promises for Christ followers.

“In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.”

Sometimes you have to believe in order to see. Sometimes you need faith in order to hope. Psalm 25:4-5 offers us such a prayer.

“Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.”

Do the mountains hope? If so, what do they hope for?

You hope. What is your hope in?

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