HBCCA:Intaba - On the Mountain with God

In the Xhosa tradition, when a man (or a woman - but mainly men) wants to be alone to deal with an important issue in his life, he would go to a nearby mountain and seek for a quiet spot where time can be spent with God in prayer.

Prayer could be for guidance, wisdom, deliverance, healing (physical or spiritual) or any other issue related to his personal life or that of his family. Here on the mountain he will look for new strength and encouragement. Here he comes to hear God’s voice …

Through the ages many men have gone to mountains for the same reasons. The first person that comes to mind is Moses: “Moses climbed the rugged mountain to meet with God…” (Exodus 19:3) and on this mountain soon afterwards he received the Ten Commandments. The other person who also comes to mind is Jesus Christ spending many hours of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane situated on the Mountain of Olives. He often found refuge from the crowds in the mountains of Galilee as well.

We would like to invite you to spend some time on our mountain today. Whether you are a man or woman, young or old, it may be that you have some unresolved issues in your life and that you need some encouragement and strength. Go ahead and let God do the work for you through His Word …

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with roots reaching deep into the water-a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7

I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me; He freed me from all my fears. The oppressed look to Him and are glad; they will never be disappointed. The helpless call to Him, and He answers; He saves them from all their troubles. His angel guards those who honour the Lord and rescues them from danger.

Psalm 34:4-7