Seven Hills: Surrounded by God’s Love
As we got off the bus and viewed the city from its eastern approach, everyone in the group couldn’t miss it: Jerusalem is surrounded by hills and mountains. Reliable sources say there are seven! Our enthusiastic youth pilgrims had the opportunity of seeing a view similar to that which inspired the Psalmist when, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he penned down these words:
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore
(Psalm 125:2)
Indeed God holds us in His loving embrace and shelters us with His peace. It’s not just a nice metaphor, it is true! However this doesn’t mean that we are exempt from suffering and problems which at times may even lead us to doubt our Father’s care. We are always called to entrust ourselves to His love and His wisdom, hence the need of daily reflective prayer and the encouragement of the Christian community. In fact from the same lookout we noticed how Jerusalem itself is built on a mountain which is why the Psalmist gives us this reassurance:
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever
(Psalm 125:1).
So whatever your situation at the moment keep in mind:
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you
(Isa 54:10).
Believing and relying on the love of God is what constitutes the essence of faith (1 John 4:16). The love of our God who longs for us, who wants to show us just how precious we are, who calls us out of the darkness of our sin to show mercy to the prodigal son within us, who wants to reveal the truth which sets us free from superficial living to life in abundance, who wants to bring us to our eternal destination in heaven – this is the God in whom we trust.
This is also what our course called SEVEN is all about, the opportunity to view and experience the ‘seven hills’ of God’s embrace. Our team invites you to join many other young people who will be attending this year. More details can be found on this site.