MENU

Missiology Through Scripture: The Mountains Melt Like Wax

By Mike Pettengill, Mar 21, 2019

“The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.”
– Psalm 97:5-6 

The use of the visual of mountains melting like wax seems odd but is not inconsistent in the Old Testament. Both moving mountains (Is. 40:3-5; Zech. 14:4,10) and melting like wax (Ps. 68:2; Micah 1:4) can be seen throughout the Old Testament. The purpose of the imagery is to show the power of the strongest things we know (mountains) is nothing compared to the power of the Lord. In our wildest imagination we cannot comprehend the power of the God. Even the most outlandish imagery imaginable does not do justice to scope of our beautiful Creator.

The glory of Jesus is seen, but not acknowledged, by every person in creation. God’s actions and design and observed and admired throughout the globe. Some falsely attribute his work to nature, man, or random chance. Jonathan Edwards said, “So in the prophecies the Messiah is represented as God, whom the Old Testament often speaks of as ruling sun, moon, and stars. And the heavens are represented as declaring the Messiah’s righteousness. And the heavens, and earth, and sea, and the whole universe, is represented as rejoicing and worshipping and praising the Messiah on occasion of his coming and kingdom.” Those who know and worship the name of Christ understand His righteousness and seek His glory.

God’s hand is seen in everything, and deep within each of us, God has placed a knowledge of Himself. Through the wonder of our surroundings every human understands there is a Creator and is given the burden to discover and worship Him. Many times, we suppress this knowledge. The purpose of the missionary is to help the lost uncover the truth which God has already placed within them. The missionary shares Christ with the nations and connects the dots from Creation to salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus. God’s glory is multiplied among the nations when His righteousness is revealed to the lost by Christ’s messengers.

Mike Pettengill is a veteran MTW missionary and the director of MTW’s West Coast office.

Please login to continue
Forgot your password?
Recover it here.
Don't have an account?
Create an Account
Sign Up for Free
Name
Email
Choose Password
Confirm Password

GET INVOLVED

Cultivate: Creating a Culture of Missions At Your Church
Hospitality and Administration
Longer
Serve Missionary Families
Mission Trips

Sarah Young: The Story of God’s Hand on My Mom’s Life

Mom's life reflected an unwavering devotion to prayer, deep Bible study, and writings that served as a conduit to draw people closer to God.

SEE MORE

Crates for Ukraine 3.0: Calling All Churches, Youth Groups, and Galvanizers (VIDEO)

MTW Ukraine is getting more requests for med kits, vitamins, and winter wear right now than any other time in the war. Will you help again?

SEE MORE

9 Practical Ways to Prepare for Missions

While waiting to go to the field, don’t be idle. Take time now to increase the probability of success as a future missionary.

SEE MORE

Pray for missionaries as they face a wide variety of stressors related to living and serving cross-culturally on the mission field.

Pray for current missionaries, future missionaries, sending churches, and donors to be willing to ask the question, "How could God use me?"

Pray for those who spent their summer on an MTW summer internship and have now returned home. Pray that God would use their deepened hearts for missions for His glory. 

Give thanks for faithful servants who have lived a life of service to Christ, and in death leave a legacy of hope. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Ps. 116:15).

Please pray for the Crates for Ukraine 3.0 effort, and for the med kits, tourniquets, vitamins, winter wear, and other critical supplies to meet the physical needs of Ukrainians in the areas that need it most.

Pray for those who are considering missions to begin taking steps that will equip them for ahead of time. 

Pray for MTW's ministries in Sydney, including Harbour City Church, City Sanctum, and Student Outreach to the World, as well as the Pacific Islands Island to Island Partnership. 

Pray for City Sanctum, a ministry to businessmen and women in Sydney, Australia that helps believers live out their faith in the workplace, and welcomes non-believers exploring their faith. 

Pray for God to burden the Church with the importance of our global missions mandate.

Pray for missionary parents in the unique challenges of raising kids on the mission field. 

SUBSCRIBE TO STORIES & MORE

Good news in your inbox, once per week.