Far Side of the Mountain

Trusting God when things are running smoothly is "a cake walk," but in the midst of chaos, it takes real faith to put confidence in Someone you can't see. With practice, we can learn to hear His voice. However, there are times when He remains silent--and those times can be times of great testing. If we keep walking in His direction, trusting that He'll lead us through, we finally reach the other side with a stronger faith. He knows that is the result. Often, that is the sole reason for the times of testing. This poem came to encourage me at just such a time. I hope it is as special to you and it has been to me. It's based on the following scriptures.

Psalm 91; Mark 11:20-26

Far Side of the Mountain
©2006, Janet K. Poludniak

We may meet circumstances that are far from what we'd choose,
but if we fail to walk in them, we may find it's we who lose.
These times are opportunities to be what we're called to be –
Light that is not hidden from view, but shines for all to see.

Our comfort is not God's concern when we yield to be His tools,
and often times He'll stretch us past the place where comfort rules.
We may think, "I'll surely snap if He pulls a second longer,"
but from the far side of the mountain, we will find that we are stronger.

In those times of desperation or a crisis, God is there.
No matter if He's silent or we feel He doesn't care.
Those are times we must believe – no matter what we feel
and know His watch care over us is faithful, God is real.

We need to press in closer, to spend time in His Word,
to listen for His still, small voice until we know we've heard.
It may not happen right away, but we can't win alone,
and doubting Him may slow us down, but His blood can still atone.

Nothing is impossible when we give our God control
and even though we see in part, our God sees the whole
of every situation; naught takes Him by surprise!
If we seek Him in the secret place, His peace becomes our prize.

Surely, He'll deliver us from the fowler's snare
and hide beneath His feathers those who seek a shelter there.
We need not fear terror by night or arrows that fly by day;
when God is our habitation, when we rest in Him and pray.

Story ID:	3808
Written by:	JANET KESSLER POLUDNIAK (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Organization:	JUST ME
Story type:	Poem
Location:	Ithaca NY USA
Year:	2007
Person:	Folks struggling with faith issues.