To pray in the night on a mountain. . .

Solitude is a special place. I took a short walk alone this evening--at least alone as one can get on a dark Kathmandu street with stray dogs, motorbikes, and other random pedestrians. Shop owners were winding down and closing their doors. I realized on this walk that more is happening within me than I've had time to process. I take time to write and to read the Word. I chase God through the city, but I am not chasing Him within. I have not been still enough to seek.

I've learned the value of walking up a mountain to pray in the night. It's so easy to get lost in service and lose moments of stillness to hear from God. I seem to always forget to be still and know that He is God. Jesus, our perfect model, often left His disciples in order to find intimacy and peace in God. Though our days in Kathmandu are not always full of physical activity, the mental and emotional race is just as tiring if not more. My mentor often says: "we're too busy NOT to pray." We're too busy not to be still, as well.

I asked to excuse myself early in order to travel to the mountain top tonight. I'm not really on a mountaintop--it's a rooftop, the next best thing. It's beautiful, peaceful. I'm alone. The night is dark, yet illumined by scattered house lights. How I long for the mountains where electricity is scarce. The stars shine so much brighter. Tonight, the air is crisp and the breeze gentle. It is a gift to pray in the night on a mountain.

As the stillness washes over me, I reflect on the journey of the past 3 years. How far we've come! How far we have to go! How desperate I am to make every step with Him! Life is meaningless without the love of God. I know: I was blind for many years. I'm only beginning to see the height and depth of God's love. I look out over the city and see His hand on all things. God is everywhere. As Thomas Merton says, life is not worth living if it isn't charged with the presence of God!