Matching Your Mountains

On July 4 1894, American folk poet Sam Walter Foss published a poem called “The Coming American”, and it went like this:

Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains;
Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains.
Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains;
Men to chart a starry empire, Men to make celestial claims.
Bring me men to match my prairies, Men to match my inland seas;
Men to sail beyond my oceans, Reaching for the galaxies.
These are men to build a nation, Join the mountains to the sky;
Men of faith and inspiration, Bring me men, bring me men, bring me men!
Bring me men to match my forests, Bring me men to match my shore;
Men to guard the mighty ramparts, Men to stand at freedom's door.
Bring me men to match my mountains, Men to match their majesty;
Men to climb beyond their summits, Searching for their destiny.

I have long been intrigued by the phrase “Men to match my mountains.” For many years the mighty mountain ranges of the Midwest served as barriers to the growth of the fledgling nation. Only after brave men and women forged trails through the mountains that opened the west to exploration and settlement could this great nation stretch from see to shining sea. Until that day, those mountians stood as defiant obstacles sending out a challenging cry for men to match their greatness and stature. Their very existence was a demand for "Men to match my mountains."

In religious circles we hear many references to mountaintop experiences as those high times of our lives when everything is going well. Likewise much is said about the valley as the times of trial and difficulty. However, the distinction is not nearly as simple as that. Mountains, in and of themselves, present both a challenge and an obstacle that must be overcome. The victory and reward of standing on a mountaintop is only achieved after the exhausting experience of conquering the mountain. The truth is that the mountains themselves are somewhat intimidating but their very presence calls out for men to match the mountains.

If you intend to live for God, if you have a desire to strive to do some great work for God, you might as well settle the issue right now: There will be mountains in your life. Mountains that defy you and challenge you to overcome them. Mountains that represent challenges, and struggles. Mountains that become obstacles and even, sometimes, mountains that are occupied by the enemies of your soul. It is these mountains that become the obstacles that stand between you and the things that God has for you in this life.

My desire today is to encourage you. Don't shrink away from your mountains. God has given you a faith and courage to match the mountains in your life. Blessing waits for you on the mountaintop. A fresh experience with God waits on the other side of the obstacle. A hard fought victory awaits the soul that will fight their way up the mountain. The conquering of some mountains will be a long difficult battle where every step forward is a small victory. Some mountains will be marked by the long lonely struggle of a solo climb to the summit. And some mountains will merely be obstacles in your path that simply must be overcome. Together they will challenge you, they will try your faith and test your commitment. But make no mistake about it, the mountain top is worth the struggle that it takes to reach it. If you are to obtain all that God has for you in this life, if you are to be everything He has called you to be, you will have to match the mountains that He has placed before you.

Can you hear their voices? The mountains in your life are beckoning to you. Come, climb, struggle and conquer. The mountain only yields its treasure to the soul that braves its dangers. Can you hear the cry? It echos from the hills and over the valleys, "Give me men to match my mountains..."

You, my friends are the men and women that can, indeed, match the mountains of your life. Why don't you make up your mind today to rise up and match your mountains?