“I can’t see the contour lines on this map,” the Captain whispered. We were huddled under a poncho liner as we attempted to keep our flashlights from giving away our position in the darkened jungle foliage. It was raining and cold — not the weather you’d expect in Vietnam (the cold, not the rain). We were attempting to locate a helicopter that had gone down in our area.

In order to be able to read the map, we had to take the red lenses off of our flashlights, as the brown contour lines were not visible in the red light. What we discovered was that the map indicated the terrain was too steep to attempt a climb in the dark.

Sadly, the delay until morning resulted in our mission ending up as a recovery operation and not a rescue.

I have a theorem I apply to climbing mountains: “For every downhill there is an equal to, or greater than, uphill ahead.” Our spiritual journey is much like that. We have ups and downs as we seek to make progress in the journey to spiritual maturity. However, there is one difference: God has the map, and He isn’t showing it to us. If He did, we would most likely balk at the climb, just like we did in Vietnam that night.

The map God has for us is spiritually taking us to higher ground that represents a closer and more intimate relationship with Him. In his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, author W. Phillip Keller describes this in terms of a shepherd leading his sheep to the rich high meadows, where the sheep are to graze:

In the Christian life we often speak of wanting “to move onto higher ground with God.” How we long to live above the lowlands of life. We want to get beyond the common crowd, to enter a more intimate walk with God. We speak of mountaintop experiences, and we envy those who have ascended the heights and entered into this more sublime sort of life… So, with God’s people, one only gains higher ground by climbing up through the valleys.

The sheep who follow the shepherd do not worry about the contour lines of the steep valley. They trust their shepherd to lead them to the higher meadows. Jesus tells us, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:14, ESV) Left to ourselves, we will take the easy path, a path that is “downhill” spiritually.

King David was a shepherd, so he understood how God cared for him as a sheep in His care. Psalm 23 is a testament to that care. We would do well to follow David’s example of crying out to God the Shepherd. “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth, I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:1-2 ESV)

Pray with a surrendered heart and God will lead you to the higher ground you seek. There you will find the Good Shepherd.

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!