Within the church we often try to answer questions of heartache with statements like “Only time will tell” or “God has a bigger plan” or maybe even the never failing “Well, they are better off.”

While all of those statements seem to cover a broad array of possibilities, children of the most high God should be aware there is always something bigger here.

When we stand before a mountain of heartache, remember, we are not on earth by some sort of accident. We were sent here to experience life on earth where sin is present.

God spoke to a man by the name of Cain in Genesis 4:6-7: “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

It seems Cain wasn’t happy with not being accepted during the time of sacrifice, where he brought some of the portions from his garden.

To make matters worse, it seems his brother Abel’s fat portion offerings from his sheep were accepted.

None of us know the mountains or depth of hurt others are dealing with, but we all deal with them at one time or another.

In Genesis 4:8 (the very next verse) we see how Cain chose to deal with the situation he faced: “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

If we are Christians, we should not choose the way of Cain, as it is a worldly solution. We should have our minds set on things above: heavenly, Godly, eternal.

However, often we look more worldly than Godly as we retaliate in some way upon a friend, a spouse or even God.

But what if we realized everything that happens is for a purpose, and the purpose is beyond the “Me and Mine” and the “Here and Now?”

Allow me to use one more example from the Bible to explain what I wish we would all begin to see more than the mountain we are facing.

Genesis 22:1-14 is the story of God telling Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.

While this was a practice of pagan nations, Abraham had evidently walked with God through many experiences and knew this was the voice of God.

When it came time for the sacrifice, the Angel of the Lord stopped Abraham.

Genesis 22:11-12 says, “But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’

‘Here I am,’ he replied.
‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’”

I had read that account many times before I found something I had not seen.

This has made the greatest difference in how I look at mountains in my life.

While reading this story one day, it was as if God spoke to me saying “I did not say that.”

I stopped and read again those words from verse 12.

At that point I felt prompted to use my computer program which reveals the original Hebrew words and definition.

It was at that point I found one word added to the original.

You see, the Hebrew language does not translate straight over into English, it must be transliterated.

As such, the precise meaning of a word or structure of a sentence may not always be exactly as it was intended. This is why there are so many versions of the Bible.

Even today, if you were to look for the Hebrew meaning of a particular word, there could be a few words or meanings to choose from.

This one word I speak of, from verse 12, changed the way I look at why mountains and heartaches come into our lives.

The word is “I.”

If the word “I” is not in verse 12, you will see a whole new meaning and possibly purpose to those things that trouble us so: “Now know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

You see, it’s not so God could find out where we stand, it’s so we can discover where we stand.

And when we figure that out, we should be able to remain standing, even in the midst of our storm.

Verse 14 says, “So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’”

Kenny Speakes is pastor of Mt. Zion Christian Chuch at 3631 Combs Ferry Road. He can be reached at kws0077@yahoo.com.