Surrounded

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:2

Oregon is a very blessed state when it comes to natural beauty.  You name it, Oregon probably has something like it somewhere.  My whole life, I might have taken for granted a little the verdant forests and hills of The Valley, my homeland.  Now, I make my home in The Basin, which boasts its own brand of beauty.  The hills are a little higher here, and not nearly so green, but their formidable openness is inviting in its own way.  Here, the crags are not distant boundaries, but close in all around you like the walls of some fortress.  From atop the rampart, you can see the world beyond, and in the distance, a stalwart peak, painted white.  But down in the enclosure, it's a strangely secure feeling to look around at the heights against the sky.  Surrounded -- it's a truly humbling feeling.  It may be enemy forces, unfathomable heaps of earth, a group of good friends, or an Almighty God, but you're keenly aware you're just one small person in the middle of it all.  Every direction you turn, the same picture faces you, and there's no escaping it.  And maybe you don't want to.

You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7