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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Friday, September
15, 2023
A
view of the
Pittsburgh
skyline from
the
Monongahela
Incline as
seen in the
immediate
foreground.
Click on photo to enlarge
"When
The Mountain Is Steep"
Message
summary: At
times the road
will seem
steep but God
gives strength
so that we may
endure as we
call upon Him.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"My
soul is weary
with sorrow;
strengthen me
according to
Your word"
(Psalm
119:28).
"He
gives strength
to the weary
and increases
the power of
the weak"
(Isaiah
40:29).
"Therefore
lift your
drooping hands
and strengthen
your weak
knees"
(Hebrews
12:12).
For
the last
several days I
was in
Pittsburgh
with my young
friend Moses
who turns 20
tomorrow. He
was there to
receive
treatment for
a shoulder
injury.
Pittsburgh is
a beautiful
city with
several
outstanding
views. Our
first skyline
view was over
40 years ago
when Brooksyne
and I drove in
from the west
under the Fort
Pitt Tunnel.
When exiting
the tunnel the
city skyline
appears before
you and in our
experience it
was a complete
surprise.
Pittsburgh is
well known for
its rivers. At
the tip of
downtown the
Allegheny and
Monongahela
Rivers join to
form the Ohio
River.
Pittsburgh is
also known as
the “City of
Bridges” since
there are a
total of 446
bridges in the
city.
![]() I
initially
questioned
this
considering
the steepness
of a famous
curvy street
in San
Francisco
where there
are about
eight
switchbacks in
the 1000 block
of Lombard
Street. The
natural
27-percent
grade of this
street was
actually
leveled
slightly to 16
percent in
1922 when the
city used
cobblestones
while paving
the street. It
affords a
beautiful view
of the city
from the top.
![]() It's
a cobblestone
road and I
just didn't
feel like
driving my car
up with the
extreme
washboard
effect but a
car did climb
it while we
were there. It
seems there
were other
curious
onlookers but
there were
houses along
the road as
well and if
you live there
you probably
get used to
it, but I can
only imagine
what it's like
in the winter!
The
steep street
prompts a
consideration
of "Press On",
a song by
Selah, which
begins with
this line:
When
the valley is
deep
When the
mountain is
steep
When the body is weary When we stumble and fall At
times the
roads and the
mountains sure
seem steep.
Our
first daily
text is a
candid
petition from
David, “My
soul is weary
with sorrow;
strengthen me
according to
your word.”
Many will
identify with
the colorful
vocabulary of
the KJV
translation, “My
soul melteth
for
heaviness.”
The NASV
states, “My
soul weeps
because of
grief.”
Our third daily text comes from a section of Hebrews where followers of Christ are implored to be persevering. "Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees" (Hebrews 12:12).
The
chapter begins
with a call to
"run with
perseverance
the race
marked out for
us". This
is one of the
great Biblical
texts
describing the
long-term
nature of our
service for
Christ. The
strenuous race
we run is not
a brief sprint
but a
life-long
marathon. And
this marathon
has steep
hills! As we run the race for Christ sometimes everything seems to be going great; runners describe this by using the terms, “having the wind” or being “in pace”. But at other times the going is really tough. It may be like the famed “heartbreak hill” in the Boston Marathon. These providential hard times are ultimately a part of God’s disciplinary work in our lives. We will groan in despair if our emotions and focus are solely fixed “at the time” upon our painful discipline. Instead we must, through eyes of faith, look ahead to the “harvest of righteousness and peace” that are a result of our unshakable walk with God in the shakable events of life. Are your arms feeble or your knees weak today? Are you dealing with setbacks that weary you along the way or increase your fear of tomorrow? Corrie
ten Boom
wrote,
“Worrying
about tomorrow
will rob you
of strength
for today.”
Who would know
more about
anxiety,
setbacks and
uncertainties
than Miss ten
Boom whose
father and
sister were
executed
during the
holocaust and
she herself
was imprisoned
in the
concentration
camps for
saving
hundreds of
Jews.
Strengthen or lift up your arms today in faith and praise to God. This must primarily be an act of willful obedience rather than an emotional response. As you lift them up in obedience I believe you will experience the uplifting spiritual, physical and mental revitalization that Isaiah writes about in 40:29, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak". Choose to gaze upon your permanent destiny and only glance upon your present difficulties. This will enable you to praise God with a sincere heart. Thank Him for the discipline He is bringing into your life to conform you to His likeness and to prepare You for the joys of heaven where sorrow, loss, pain and disappointment no longer exist. In
Jesus' name,
we press on
In Jesus' name, we press on Dear Lord, with the prize Clear before our eyes We find the strength to press on Be
encouraged
today,
(Hebrews
3:13)
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
![]()
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Press
On"
Watch
video on
YouTube
Selah
![]() We
parked at the
top of Mount
Washington
with stunning
views
overlooking
the city and
rode down and
back up on the
Monongahela
Incline. It is
a commuter
route for
residents who
live on the
hill to get to
and from work
in the
downtown area.
This view is
going up, of
course, so you
can see how
steep it is. The
Monongahela
Incline: A
Pittsburgh
Icon
This
house is in
the Highland
Park
neighborhood
of Pittsburgh
near the place
we stayed.
Overall
compared to
many cities
Pittsburgh
seemed to
be in
pretty good
shape wherever
we went
In
the course of
getting lost
driving around
Pittsburgh we
did drive up
this steep
cobblestone
street
(perhaps it
was brick -
not sure!)
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world. ![]() ![]() Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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