We Christians seem to like word pictures. We talk about being “salt and light” to the world, and we worship Jesus as the “Lamb of God” as we strive to be his “hands and feet” to our community. There’s nothing wrong with metaphors, but sometimes they can become so commonplace that we gloss over them as we read the Bible without really stopping to think about what they mean. One word picture that I’ve heard a lot about over the years but haven’t given much thought to until recently is the idea of spiritual “mountaintop” experiences.

The summit of Mount Sinai reaches 7,497 feet high, which makes it a little smaller than Mount St. Helens in Washington (8,363’) or El Capitan here in Texas (8,084’). Moses received the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai, and the Sinai desert region is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament as an area where the Israelites spent time. Moses’ story is a familiar one: he met God on the mountain; God carved the commandments into stone tablets, and Moses brought the tablets to the people as God’s law.

What struck me as interesting is that God didn’t just call Moses near the mountain or even to the foot of it. Exodus 19:20 tells us that Moses was instructed to meet God at the top of Mount Sinai. I don’t know about you, but I don’t typically begin my mornings with a 2.5-hour hike (which is what some outdoorsy references say it takes to reach the summit … I’m guessing they don’t account for arthritic knees and potty breaks, but what do I know?). And Moses did it several times – up and down the mountain, talking to God and bringing his messages back down to the people.

We refer to mountaintop experiences in the Christian life as if they are just feel-good moments from summer camp or an awesome concert. And sometimes, yes – we do have an out-of-the-blue, phenomenal spiritual experience that makes us feel closer to God. Oftentimes, though, getting to the top of the mountain takes a lot of time and effort. It’s like spiritual hiking, and it takes discipline and endurance just like real mountain climbing does.

Not only that, but when Moses came down from his one-on-one time with God at Mt. Sinai, he was perceptibly changed (Exodus 34:29). Do people notice a difference in us because we’ve spent time with the Lord? God is calling each of us; are you willing to climb your own spiritual mountain in response?