Go Tell it on the Mountain
By Martha Noebel

The bottom line is ready or not, He's coming!

I went to the mountain to pray on the Friday after the Sept. 11 disaster as the mayor of Virginia Beach had asked us to do. I felt that if I went with the other approximate 10,000 people that gathered on Mt. Trashmore, that I would feel closer to those who were hurting in New York, Washington, D.C., and around the world. I loved the chance to stand and pray with the many people who stood beside me in the night, candles lit, and hearts sharing the same pain for those who lost their lives so unnecessarily.

I felt the Lord prompt my heart with the title for this article a couple of weeks before the incident even happened. It had a nice ring to it; I just didn't know what it would mean to me. Then on that Friday, as I stood on that mountain looking at the sea of faces and lights, I knew why I needed to write the article.

"Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Sing to the LORD; bless his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does" (Psalm 96:1-3, New Living Translation).

God wanted to remind us of His soon return. We need to stand on the mountaintop and tell others. That night many people heard about God and His love for them in the midst of this crisis. The chaplain from the Virginia Beach Police Department shared the message of God's love, offering hope to those who needed to know more about God. Several of the local ministers came forward to pray for those who needed something more. It was an awesome sight.

Then today the Lord reminded me of the article I had written at the beginning of the year, Looking For God?. It felt a little strange to see what the Lord had put on my heart then and to compare it to what was happening now. People are now thinking about God like they have never before. They are reevaluating their lives and their walk with God. We are becoming a "God conscious" nation. It wasn't that way back in January 2001 when I wrote the first article concerning our lack of interest in God.

The bottom line is ready or not, He's coming! Jesus is coming back for a people looking for Him. He is coming to take with Him those who have asked forgiveness of their sins. There is not a better time to turn to God. Now is the appointed hour.

"I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge" (Psalms 62:5-8, New Living Translation).

Whether it is on a mountain or in your front yard, take time to tell others of a loving God who wants to know them in a personal way. Time is short.

Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere,
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
(African-American Spiritual)

cbn