There are times in all of our lives when tragedy strikes, a trauma or crisis occurs and unrest attacks us at every angle – there seem to be no answers and we are at a total loss.
There have been many times in my life like this, and during every one of them there has only been one path to peace – seeking God and seeking the refuge of his loving, gracious arms. Even if don’t find answers right then and there, it is his presence and his peace that offer security during the storm.
One period of my life when I was suffering trauma, I felt anxiety, pain, despair and loss like no other period in my life. I accepted and soaked up any and as much godly wisdom and advice as I could, but the horridness of the situation was still present. At this time, I did everything God required of me, and when I was still at a loss I did the only thing I knew to do – I went to prayer mountain.
Spiritual simplicity
There is a camp site in the Adelaide hills called ‘Shiloh Hills retreat’, owned by an elderly Christian man who has dedicated the land to God’s purposes. Situated on this land is a large hill set amongst lots of trees and undergrowth.
After the steep incline to reach the top, you come to an open-spaced clearing. Set back from here are nothing more than an old garage and toilet facilities. Within this old renovated garage is simple carpeting, old mismatched chairs and a bookshelf filled with Bibles and other spiritual books.
It has an old organ and the walls are adorned with scripture posters and handmade tapestry’s depicting Bible verses. It is simple. This is the place known as Prayer Mountain to those who know of it, and it has been a very special place to those who have know about it for decades.
It is dedicated and open to anyone who wants a place to got to go to pray, to seek God, somewhere where you can be as loud and emotional as they like without fear of neighbours hearing you.
I have personally been here countless times. Over the years, I have spent hours here pouring my heart out to God, soaking the floor with my tears, and I know it has been here for countless others also.
At Prayer Mountain, you can read, pray, contemplate and if so inclined, take a bush walk on the nearby walking trails. There is nothing ‘super special’ about this place – you could probably find somewhere more beautiful if you looked hard enough, but this isn’t the point. The point is it a place of seeking of the Lord and his heart that makes this place (or any place for that matter) so special, so sacred.
At home, I am distracted. I can find other things to occupy my mind and heart when I know I should be seeking God about something or just meeting with him for communion. So my drive to prayer mountain is solely dedicated to this.
It’s kind of like having gym equipment at home versus going to the gym. You can do workouts at home, but rarely are you motivated to do any. Going to the gym however forces you to engage in fitness – that’s why you took the time and energy to get there!
Same with my trip to prayer mountain – it’s a dedicated time for God, and without it, my prayer and devotion time usually suffer.
The Fortress of Solitude
If you know anything of the story of Superman, you know he has a site where he connects to his place of origin and his lost family. It is called his ‘fortress of solitude’ and it is here where he works through his issues of identity, purpose and mission.
So the question to all of us remains: do we have a fortress of solitude to go to where we can reconnect with our heavenly family of origin? Do we have somewhere dedicated to connect us with our spiritual roots? Where is your own personal prayer mountain?
It could be anywhere, it doesn’t have to be special, but it is somewhere other than all the places of your other daily activities that is solely set aside for this purpose. It is somewhere where you can meet with God, pour out your heart, your worries, your cares and your prayers.
And if you don’t have or don’t yet known the benefits of doing so, build a shed, take a walk in the hills and find a brook, or go and find a nook in the cliffs of a nearby beach – claim it as your own, dedicate it to your relationship with your heavenly father and it will become holy ground. You won’t regret it.
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” - Isaiah chapter 2, verse 3a
Tim Everton hails from the beautiful Southern Coast of South Australia. In his off-time he loves to drink coffee and cause his girlfriend’s eyes to roll with his outrageously witty humour. He has a background in youth work and is currently studying his second year of counselling. He also loves creating all manner of miniature nerdy things and has recently started a new venture consisting of workshop in which he teaches others how to create these nerdy things. If miniature nerdy things may be of interest to you, feel free to check out the links at: http://miniatureworldsworkshop.weebly.com/ & https://www.facebook.com/miniatureworldsworkshop/
Tim Everton’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/tim-everton.html
Tim Everton is from South Australia, is a youth worker by trade and runs his own small business making miniature things. In his off-time he enjoys making more miniature things, playing board games hanging out at the beach and seeking out the next best cafe latte.
Tim Everton’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/tim-everton.html