Verses: Joshua 6; Hebrews 11:30
Fun Fact: Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range and the most glaciated peak in the continental U.S.!
Favorite Hike: Tolmie Peak Trail
Mount Rainier National Park is one of the three national parks in Washington state, only a couple of hours south of Seattle. It was the 5th national park to be established, largely to protect its namesake, Mount Rainier, which stands at 14,410 feet. It is the highest peak in the Cascade Range.
Mount Rainier is what is known as a stratovolcano. Though it hasn’t erupted in over 1000 years, it is still considered to be an active volcano. It will likely have future eruptions, which
could pose significant risk to surrounding areas. Scientists regularly track the seismic and hydrothermal activity. While eruptions aren’t common, the mountain does experience about 20 small earthquakes a year, given its position along the continental and oceanic plates.
Mount Rainier has 25 major glaciers, making it the most glaciated peak in the continental U.S. A number of visitors make the trip to Mount Rainier for the climbing. In an average year, about 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Rainier, but only half are successful. Summiting the mountain requires a vertical elevation gain of more than 9000 feet over roughly 8 miles.
If you are interested in hiking around Rainier, rather than up it, the Wonderland Trail is the challenge for you. The Wonderland Trail is a 93-mile trail that circles the mountain. It’s one of the best ways to experience the park. You’ll pass through meadows, lowland forests, and cover miles of trails that offer stunning views of Mount Rainier throughout the journey. It is still a strenuous hike with a significant elevation gains and usually takes people 10-14 days.
The Wonderland Trail is probably one of the most well-known treks in the NPS and a bucket list item for many hiking enthusiasts. The trail often reminds me of the story of the Israelites walking around the walls of Jericho. You are probably familiar with this story told in Joshua 6:1-5. The Israelites have reached the fortified city of Jericho and are at an impasse, but the Lord says he will give Jericho into their hands, but not the way they might have expected. The Lord commands them to march around the city for six days. On the 7th day, they were to march around it seven times, then the priests would blow their trumpets, and all the people would shout, and the walls would fall down.
We often overlook this Sunday school story. To understand the significance of Joshua 6 requires an understanding of some of the background. At the start of the book of Joshua, Moses has died and passed his leadership to Joshua to continue to lead the people to the promised land, the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 500 years before his time. (Genesis 15:18-21)
After 40 years of wandering, the Israelites had just crossed the Jordan River into the land of Canaan (Joshua 3:14-16), and the first thing they encounter are the walls of Jericho, a virtually impenetrable fortress. Some commentators say the wall was as much as 18 feet thick and situated on top of a steep hill.
And what does the Lord tell the people to do? Simple: walk around it. This is not how you would expect the conquering of Jericho to unfold. I imagine many of the Israelites doubted this plan. But they followed Joshua’s lead and did as the Lord says. I wonder what they thought for those six days, as they walked around one time in silence and returned to camp.
What I hope you gathered from this lesson in Sunday school is that the story of Jericho is a story of faith in the Lord that He will fulfill His promises. The Lord could have chosen to have the Israelites seize Jericho by other means, but He chose a way in which the people would step out in faith and be humbled by the Lord’s provision.
Hebrews 11:30 (the chapter of faith) tells us that the walls fell to faith.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
Friends, the Lord is faithful, even when we may not see it. Abraham didn’t get to enter the promised land, but the Lord fulfilled his promise to his descendants. God keeps his promises and provides the means to accomplish his plans.
I pray as you visit Mount Rainier, whether you explore none, some, or all of the Wonderland Trail by walking or driving around the park and exploring the famous peak, that you are reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness. Remember the story of Joshua and the wall of Jericho, and how the people stepped out in faith for those seven days. I pray you would do the same.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)
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