“You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.” Acts 1:9-11 MSG
I remember as a child staring up at the sky and enjoying the dizzy feeling that came afterwards when I put my head back to normal. I loved the feeling of trying to walk in a straight line afterwards. I looked ridiculous as did my friends.
Can you imagine the sight of potentially 120 grown adults, standing on a hilltop, looking up at an empty sky? We don’t know how long they stood there swaying as they tried to keep themselves upright. A proper comical sight, I can imagine. No wonder the angels made the comment they did.
“You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.” Acts 1:9-11 MSG
Sometimes we need to be reminded that life on the mountaintop is not all there is, and not the place we are to stay. Holy mountain top experiences are wonderful. They give us a glimpse of the bigger picture that God is doing in our lives and the world around us. It’s like looking at a holiday brochure and seeing the potential of the destination to come. But it is only a snapshot picture of the promise, not the real thing.
God’s promises can be like this. A sure and certain snapshot of His best for us, but only achieved if we head on down the mountain again and work with Him on the journey to to the promise. The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, not on the mountain top as Jesus left, but in an upstairs meeting room some days later. The disciples had to make their next step to leave the mountain, head back into the world and wait for Jesus to give them their next promised step.
It’s important to remember with gratitude the events of Easter, with Christ’s death and resurrection, and with all the promises they leave us. But also let’s not stay at the empty tomb, or even his mountain of ascension. He is not there. Instead, His Holy Spirit is in you, guiding your every next step.
So go on, take hold of His promises for you, they are waiting for you, not only on the mountain, but down in the valley of life too.
