Ascending the Mountain
In the last few years, I’ve had many dreams about ascending a mountain. I had another one on New Year’s eve. Several friends have also had dreams in which a mountain was the central theme. I believe God is speaking to us about something important in these dreams. I’ll give you a little background info from one of the previous dreams.
On November 4, 2010, I had a dream about the earth being flooded with a rainstorm that wouldn’t stop. I watched as people tried frantically to get to higher ground as the waters kept rising. I watched as a woman was put in an ambulance, which was stolen. They tried to get to higher ground but the ambulance crashed. In another scene, two men stole a fuel truck and tried to drive it to higher ground. When it tipped over they tried to siphon fuel from it.
At the end of the dream, I saw people in canoes and kayaks paddling from one end of a serene lake to the other. It stopped raining and the sun came out. A beautiful mountain rose up at the edge of the lake. The people in the boats traveled the entire length of the lake and learned they had paddled completely around the mountain. They realized it was the highest peak in the world and that the earth was now underwater except for the mountain peak. They also realized they were going to spend the rest of their days living on the mountainside. There was a deep sense of peace in this part of the dream.
I believe this dream speaks of things that will come upon the inhabitants of the earth at some time in the future. I don’t think it speaks of a literal flood, but perhaps some other catastrophic event(s) that will cause widespread panic. The key to survival is ascending the mountain of God.
In the dream I had on New Year’s eve, I was ascending a mountain for what seemed like the entire night. I had no backpack, poles, crampons, ice ax, ropes, or any mountaineering gear. I walked one slope to its highest point, then found another slope that went in a different direction leading higher up the mountain. I’d walk up that slope to its highest point, then find yet another slope that led higher still. This process was repeated many times.
One thing that impressed me on the ascent was the peace and stillness that surrounded me. There was no one else around for miles. I heard no sounds; no people, no freeway noise, not even the chirping of birds. I was much too high for their comfort. On the ascent I wasn’t cold; the temperature was perfect. My feet never slipped, even though the ground was alternately covered with snow, ice, and loose rocks. The walk was easy – almost effortless. I had no map and no guide, yet I knew my destination was the summit.
I didn’t walk alone; someone was with me. In the dream, I couldn’t tell who it was, but experience has taught me that it was the Lord himself, who said He would never leave me. I find it interesting that although He is always beside me and always interested in spending time with me, I rarely give Him my full attention, except in a crisis.
When we reached the top, we paused there for a while, taking in the rarified air of this splendid and heavenly place. Then we began the descent. Our trip down the mountain was a fast glissade to the bottom (To glissade you sit or lie down on the mountain slope and gravity pulls you along. On a field of ice the descent is fast, on snow it’s a bit slower).
As we approached the bottom of the mountain, a ski resort came into view. I saw chair lifts, skiers, abandoned ski poles, and discarded trash on the slopes. The artificial lights cast a sickly orange glow on the scene. I heard the noise of civilization… and wanted to return to the peaceful place I had just left.
There is a calling pictured in these dreams; a call to come up higher from the place we are right now. The call is an invitation to leave behind the noise, confusion, clamor, and distractions that surround us and beg for our attention. God is inviting us to ascend His holy mountain. The ascent is a pursuit. The object of our pursuit is the place where we meet with God and commune with Him alone. It’s an invitation to intimacy.
If there is one thing lacking in my life today, it is time alone with God. I have hundreds of excuses, but none of them are good ones. I’m a busy person. I’ve committed myself to things that require a lot of time. I spend most of my time writing, working, cooking, parenting, and socializing with friends on Facebook.
But none of these commitments are more important than spending time alone with God. He deserves the highest priority in my life and it’s to my own benefit that I spend time with Him, getting to know His ways and being refreshed in His presence. The One who loves me deeply is calling me (and you) into a place of intimate relationship. We must set aside time with Him because time is the commodity of relationships. This year, we might be wise to spend more time with Him than we did in the last year. Whatever is holding you back and keeping you from spending time with Him, let go of it. You won’t regret it. I hope you are encouraged and inspired by this dream.
Just found this old post, and I was interested, because I had a dream about ascending a mountain a few months ago.
In the dream, I was at the foot of the mountain, dancing to worship music with crazy abandon, ( it was Matt Redman’s “Dancing Generation”) People were staring at me, but I didn’t care if I looked silly. The other people around me had proper mountaineering gear on, looking properly equipped, but I didn’t. I was travelling very light.
There was a train, with lots of carriages, just about to leave to go up the mountain, but I had got so carried away with worship, that I was still trying to put my shoes on, as the train started to leave, and I missed it. The train carriages were absolutely packed to overflowing with people, and as the train started to ascend the mountain, it just couldn’t handle the weight of the crowds, and part way up, it stopped and then came crawling back down again.
In the meantime, I had been wondering how I would ascend the mountain, without proper mountaineering gear, and on my own, having missed the train. Somebody in uniform, who clearly had some authority, then spoke to me and said I could use the “solar lift,” (elevator). This made me smile, when I woke up – God’s sense of humour, playing with words, I think – anything solar uses power from the sun / Son?! I got into the solar lift / elevator, and it took just 7 seconds to reach the top of the mountain, (I like number 7 – number of completion!) I woke up feeling elated.
The train full of people made me think of how some christians / churches can look really well equipped on the outside, but they simply haven’t got that truly intimate connection to God, and they are just laden down with baggage and not getting anywhere fast. (That is the sad part of the dream).
But overall, this dream really encouraged me, because at the time, I had been questioning the amount of intercession I had committed to, and whether I was really “praying properly,” given the limited time I had available. And God just kind of laughed, (cos His burden is light), and showed me how He is giving me shortcuts, and how travelling light and worshipping takes me straight away into that higher place with Him.