AUGUST 24, 2026

 "...Wait, there's no mountain too great

Hear these words and have faith

Have faith

He lives in you, he lives in me

He watches over everything we see

Into the waters, into the truth
In your reflection, he lives in you"

- THE LION KING

PSALM 120-123

1I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

2My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth. (121:1-2)

1 CORINTHIANS 6

 19Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

JOURNAL 

I absolutely love The Lion King. The movie, the play, the story, the soundtrack. There is something about it that has always connected with me deeply, and perhaps no song affects me more than He Lives in You. I think I understand a little better now why. There have been moments throughout my life when circumstances threatened to completely undo me, when fear took over my imagination and I desperately wanted God to change an outcome. Yet it has often been in those very moments that I have most clearly experienced the safety and warmth of His presence.

For much of my life, I think I viewed God's presence as something that would help me get through the storm. I wanted His strength to reach the other side, His peace until the problem was solved, and His guidance toward the outcome I wanted. But I am beginning to understand something much deeper: God's presence isn't simply the means to an outcome. His presence is the outcome.

Life really is difficult. There will always be another mountain, another problem to solve, another disappointment, another uncertain future. The answer isn't to wish those moments away or somehow gain enough control to avoid them. It is learning to encounter God within them. The Spirit of God isn't waiting for me on the other side of the storm. He is here, right now, and Scripture tells me that He actually lives within me.

Maybe this is why surrender has become so central to what I am learning. Surrender isn't giving up on life. It is giving up my demand that life unfold according to my design before I am willing to call it good. I can release the outcome, the future, my fears, my need for acceptance, and even the people I love because the thing I ultimately need has already been given to me: God Himself.

So when Scripture tells me not to be afraid, it isn't promising that there won't be mountains. It is reminding me that I will never face one alone. His power gives me the courage to surrender what I cannot control. His love frees me from desperately seeking acceptance elsewhere. His discipline allows me to return to today and faithfully take the next step. There really is no mountain too great, not because I am strong enough to conquer every mountain, but because wherever this life takes me, He lives in me.

6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

DEUTERONOMY 31:6