In The Highs and The Lows

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” ⁶ The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. Matthew 17:5-8

There were two times God opened the heavens, spoke and said, “this is my beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased.” Here and at His baptism in the Jordan River.  Although the Mount of Transfiguration is believed to be Mount Tabor by most Biblical Scholars, some scholars believe it to be Mount Hermon. But no matter which one it was the significance is they are the two highest peaks in Israel, Hermon being 2932 feet and Tabor being 1929 feet above sea level. In contrast the Jordan River is at the lowest place, close to the Dead Sea at 1,411 feet.

Why is this important? Because both times Jesus heard God say He was His beloved Son was at the lowest and highest points. Could it be that our Father was revealing to us that no matter where we are in life He wants to remind us how much He loves us. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the high’s or low’s, we are His beloved children. He sees us as He sees Jesus when we accept Him and become joint heirs with Him.

The last verse also reminds us that the disciples looked up and saw Jesus only. With all the distractions around us to pull our attention, we are reminded that after God spoke they bowed down and when they looked up. How many times does God get our attention through circumstances or situations and we pray, praise or worship Him and as we are worship and look upwards we too see Jesus only. So the next time we are celebrating a victory or experiencing a crisis or low point, let’s remember to bow down and look up and see Jesus only for strength and answers.