The Tallest Mountain

The windshield wipers of the four door Jeep slapped back and forth in a rhythmic frenzy.  Even at high speed, the maddened beat of the rubber blades barely managed to keep the tempest at bay.  The motion of the wipers, the torrential rain, and the moist foggy air blurred the view thru the windshield to the point of mandatory action.  With a twist of a switch, the defrost roared to life.  With the decreasing visibility, and my lack of familiarity with the road, I eased off the gas.  It was a good idea.  Soon, the Jeep began to pull left and right as the tires encountered the drag of running water on the road.  I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as I felt the Jeep threaten to hydroplane.  I eased off the throttle even more.  Nature was dictating a slower speed limit this day.

Surrounded by a cocoon of wet gloomy grayness, the view beyond the windows gave little indication where we were going.  The only hints regarding our true destination were the Jeep’s laboring engine, and the pressure changes in our ears.  At times, the engine screamed while the automatic transmission stubbornly held it’s selected gear.  We were climbing fast, but the misty envelope of nothingness refused to surrender any visual clues.  We were driving blind into the unknown.

“You think we’ll make it?” asked my beautiful wife and best friend.

“Not sure,” I winced.  “The road was closed yesterday due to snow.”

“That’s crazy,” she snipped whimsically.  “Less than one hour ago, we were standing on the beach.”

I nodded.  “As long as we can get above the rain clouds, we should be good.”

“Four wheel drive to the top?” she asked.

“Mandatory, they say.  Low gear as well,” I stated as I pointed out the windshield towards a sliver of blue sky.  “Looks like we are breaking out,” I smiled.

“There it is,” she excitedly pointed.

I stole a glance at the towering giant looming above us through the wispy cloud tops.  The sunlit bathed peak appeared like a huge masted ship sailing a vast sea of whiteness.  Like a siren’s song, the mountain beckoned us onwards and upwards towards it’s lofty summit.  But I was not completely fooled by the lure of the mightily displayed grandeur.  Danger lurked in the rarified air hugging those steep slopes.  We had just left sea level one hour ago.  Altitude sickness was a very real possibility.  I checked my watch.  There was still time to acclimate before sunset.  I blew out a sigh of relief.  My dream to stand on the tallest mountain in the world at sunset was going to happen.  “Mauna Kea,” I grinned.  “Here we come!”

Yes, it is true.  Although, the dormant volcano of Mauna Kea tops out just under 14,000 feet above sea level, it is considered the tallest mountain in the world.  It is not the highest, but it is the tallest.  Measured from the oceanic base where the mountain starts, Mauna Kea rises over 33,000 feet.  That number changes drastically depending on what is considered the solid base.  The most conservative number measures Mauna Kea at 30,610 feet which still surpasses Mount Everest by nearly 1,700 feet.  Even at only 13,796 feet above sea level, Mauna Kea is nothing short of spectacular.  It is one of the few places on Earth where you can surf the ocean and then drive less than two hours for a snow boarding adventure at nearly 14,000 feet.  Mauna Kea’s peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii, and it rises out of the ocean like a leviathan from the depths.  Mauna Kea, along with it’s neighboring sister Mauna Loa, dominate the Big Island of Hawaii.  I have been told that the mountains are so massive in volume, that their combined weight actually depresses the ocean floor causing them to shrink a smidgeon (0.01 in) each year.  With nearly 14,000 feet of it’s head sticking out of the ocean, it is hard to believe that the majority of Mauna Kea’s mass is hidden beneath the white-capped waves of the Pacific.

As I watched the setting sun from the summit of the tallest mountain in the world, I snapped this picture.  A personal bucket list item was completed.  Check.  I had always wondered what it would be like to stand there overlooking the entire Pacific Ocean Basin.  Surreal, tranquil, peaceful, and breathtaking were adjectives in the back of my mind.  However, to be honest, the only word that repeatedly slapped me was “breathtaking”.  It was breathtaking in beauty and also because it was mind numbingly cold.  Wow, it was frigid!  That moisture laden Pacific Ocean air whipping along over a 14,000 foot summit at 30 miles per hour felt like thousands of needles simultaneously being pressed into my exposed skin.  There was no dramatic reflection time at the top.  There was no hesitation and delay at the summit to rethink my purpose in life.  All I wanted to do was retreat to the warmth of the Jeep.  So I snapped a couple of pictures, and vamoosed.  I reflected upon the spiritual nuances much much later, after the pinkish hue returned to my face, and the feeling returned to my fingers.

Mauna Kea is a massive mountain, yet only 14,000 feet of it is seen.  It is the tallest mountain in the world, but most people don’t recognize the 19,000 feet of submerged structure and, therefore, misjudge it.  Very rarely will people offer up Mauna Kea as the tallest mountain in the world.  Mount Everest is almost always given the honor.  Very few people look beneath the surface of the waves.

There is a passage of Scripture in the Book of John that perfectly describes the point.

“Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.””

John 7:24 NLT

In other words, be cautious because there are many things that are not as they seem.  Many times it is the “unseen” that makes all the difference.  That sentiment / lesson is littered throughout the Bible.  In fact, there are so many examples and references in the Word of God concerning looking beyond the surface that it is extremely difficult to write about the topic.  For example, I could choose to write about the Beatitudes where Jesus proclaims that the worldly view of an unfortunate group of people is actually a blessed group of people.  Say what?  Jesus states “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5 NIV)

But how can that be?  The world teaches that only the strong will survive.  The answer lies in looking beneath the surface.  Things are not what they seem.  Over and over again, God’s inspired Word instructs us to look beneath the surface.  Examples, in no particular order, include “False prophets or wolves in sheep’s clothing”, “The widow’s offering”,  “David anointed as king”, “The Great Harlot”, “the Antichrist or the man of sin”, “The contest on Mount Carmel”, “On the road to Emmaus”., “On the road to Damascus”, “The olive oil and empty jars”, “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, “An angel of light”, “The  Crucifixion”, and “The Resurrection”.

Everyone of those examples are laced with the lesson to look beneath the surface.  Look deeper. Look into the heart.  Don’t judge based on what is seen.  There are so many things that we simply do not understand and see.  Things are not what they seem.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

“....as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV

As stated earlier, there are many examples of this lesson spread throughout the Bible.  Let’s just take a quick stroll through the Scriptures.......

The Fall of Man came about because neither Eve nor Adam looked beyond the surface.  What was pleasing to the eye was accepted and not judged correctly.  As a result, mankind went directly into a “tailspin”.

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

Genesis 3:6 NIV

Based on what was seen, Goliath was unbeatable.  A giant of a man, that towered over the Israelites and incited fear in their ranks.  Yet, a young boy armed with only a sling and stone approached with confidence.  He approached boldly because what was “unseen” in him was much stronger than Goliath.  In fact, much like Mauna Kea, most of David’s strength lay hidden beneath the surface.  I think it is valid to say that Goliath should have looked deeper.

One morning, a servant cried out to his master in fear.  “What shall we do?”

Unfortunately, during the predawn hours, they had been encircled by the enemy.  All avenues of escape were blocked.  There was no place to run.  No place to hide.  Based on what was seen, all was lost.

“Don’t be afraid,” the master responded.  “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

“I don’t see anyone but the enemy,” moaned the servant.

So the master prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”

Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes.  As the servant looked around, he saw the surrounding hills full of horses and chariots of fire.  The enemy was severely outnumbered by the “unseen” army of God.

As the story in 2 Kings describes, the power of the “unseen” is more than enough.  We have already won because the Spirit who lives in us is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. (1 John 4:4 NLT)

When Jesus left this Earth, He did not leave us alone as orphans.  He left behind an advocate, a helper of sorts, a guide, an “unseen” power source.  Jesus left behind the Spirit of Truth, or more commonly known as the Holy Spirit.  

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17 NIV)

The Holy Spirit resides within the hearts of all those that have accepted Jesus and believe.  Learning to tap into that “unseen” power source begins by looking beneath the surface and learning that things are not as they outwardly appear.  Even that “unseen” power source is not what it seems.  Beneath the surface, it is much stronger and powerful than most Christians perceive.  It even has the strength to move mountains as large as Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world.