The Man Who Reached the Peak of Mt. Everest

On May 10, 1996, author and mountain climber Jon Krakauer reached the peak of the world’s highest mountain, Mt. Everest. He wrote, after reaching the summit, “I understood on some dim, detached level that the sweep of earth beneath my feet was a spectacular sight. I’d been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, I just could not summon the energy to care.”

Earthly goods and goals can never fully satisfy. They’re not the real “peak.” Recently, I became conscious of this endless reminder from God. During an out of town organizational planning retreat, I spent many private moments of prayer all throughout amid planning on ministry figures and dollars. We Christians call prayer, drawing near to God, indispensable in ministry. We always find time for important things. The time we give to prayer will be a true measure of its importance to us. But, strange paradox, I found that most of us find it hard to pray. We know God’s Word calls for it. Yet we still fail to give importance and time to intercede alone and together with others.

The real “peak” is somewhere else. Apostle Paul told the Philippian believers, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Each upward climb towards that eternal goal in Christ brings complete soul-satisfaction. In this regard, how precious to realize God values and honors prayer! What happens within us in His presence is a far higher “peak” than any earthly gains we reap from doing things.

How well are you and I striving to reach that “peak?”