"He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a
mountain to pray, and as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered,
and his raiment was white and glistering . . . they saw his glory" (Luke
9:29, 32).
"If I have found grace in thy sight, show me thy
glory" (Exod. 33:13).
When Jesus took these three disciples up into that high
mountain apart, He brought them into close communion with Himself. They saw no
man but Jesus only; and it was good to be there. Heaven is not far from those
who tarry on the mount with their Lord.
Who has not in moments of meditation and prayer caught a
glimpse of opening gates? Who has not in the secret place of holy communion
felt the rush of some white surging wave of emotion--a foretaste of the joy of
the blessed?
The Master had times and places for quiet converse with His
disciples, once on the peak of Hermon, but oftener on the sacred slopes of
Olivet. Every Christian should have his Olivet. Most of us, especially in the
cities and towns, live at high pressure. From early morning until bedtime we
are exposed to the whirl. Amid all this maelstrom how little chance for quiet
thought, for God's Word, for prayer and heart fellowship!
Daniel needed to have an Olivet in his chamber amid
Babylon's roar and idolatries. Peter found his on a housetop in Joppa; and
Martin Luther found his in the "upper room" at Wittenberg, which is
still held sacred.
Dr. Joseph Parker once said: "If we do not get back to
visions, peeps into heaven, consciousness of the higher glory and the larger
life, we shall lose our religion; our altar will become a bare stone, unblessed
by visitant from Heaven." Here is the world's need today--men who have
seen their Lord. --The Lost Art of Meditation
Come close to Him! He may take you today up into the
mountain top, for where He took Peter with his blundering, and James and John,
those sons of thunder who again and again so utterly misunderstood their Master
and His mission, there is no reason why He should not take you. So don't shut
yourself out of it and say, "Ah, these wonderful visions and revelations
of the Lord are for choice spirits!" They may be for you! --John McNeill
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