I’ve spent most of the last two weeks in the far away land of Wales. A land of mountains and valleys. Very different from the flats of the Fens.

I don’t know about you, but I confess I love being in the mountains. The longer I live in the Fens, the more my muscles scream at being asked to take on an incline. Yet, once they’ve given up their complaining, there’s almost no place I’d rather be.

Seven years ago, we moved to Whittlesey. I remember at the time commenting on the lack of mountains. The reply was swift, ‘yes, but we’ve got big skies.’ Standing on the wash looking at the red sky flaming as the sun rises is an awesome sight. Or standing in the same place on a clear night surrounded from right to left, front to back, by the huge dome of the sky, that’s something special.

It struck me this week that whether we’re in a place with mountains or somewhere flat, in both locations, there are things around us that lift our eyes upwards.

That made me think of Psalm 121. Here, the writer speaks about looking up to the hills in a time of difficulty. As he does so it reminds him of God. A God who is vast, but also close. A God who is powerful, but also caring. A God who can help.

A friend of mine used to fly planes in the US. One night he was out flying and a storm closed in around him. Enveloped in greyness and not able to see, the panic began to set in. Then he remembered that above him were all the instruments he needed to find his way. All he had to do was look up.

That’s the encouragement at this point in the Bible. We’re being told, look up and see there is a God who is able and willing to help.

When you look up, what do you see? Is it just the physical universe, is that all that’s out there, or is there something more?

I’m taking a short break from writing these articles and should be back in the New Year. If you’ve got any questions or want to know more about God during this time, please do contact us through our contact page or join us on a Sunday at 10:30am or 6pm at our building in Gracious Street.