Still moments are too rare today. On my last day in Armenia last week I hiked up to a church on a small mountain top above Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the country. There was a wedding happening at one of the two small churches on the hill top. Tourists were wandering around speaking many different languages. In spite of all that, solitude and stillness were still available by going a short distance beyond.
The gentleman in the photo hiked from behind the quiet side of the church and sat on the ridge with a vantage point over the lake and ancient churches. They were built in 305AD on ground reclaimed from pagan worshipers. I do not know what this man was thinking, but I was content to breathe the lake air and consider the nearly 2000 years this place has been a site to worship Jesus.
I am never alone, because Jesus has promised to be with me and in me forever. On this spot I felt even less alone when I contemplated the number of faithful who have been on this very hill to worship in Spirit and in truth. The book of Hebrews tells us we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. These are people who have walked the life of faith and finished their time on earth.
Those witnesses of old, and this man, encouraged me to still myself before the majesty of the mountains, the changing clouds and the Spirit wind on this majestic hill. Its majesty is less for its geographical grandeur and more so for its overall setting and everything it represents. This place has endured invading armies and and maintained faith over more than 17 centuries.
Most of my readers do not have 305AD monasteries to sit in or near. But hopefully we all have places or spaces where we can experience the closeness and the majesty of our Creator.
How about you? You have a standing invitation…where can you be still?
