Isaiah 52:7 – How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
When you think of extreme sports, what comes to mind? You may think of scuba diving, skydiving, cliff diving, hang gliding, drag racing, or some other radical sport that is perceived as a high risk of injury, or even death. On that list of extreme sports there has to be mountain climbing.
Mountain climbing requires a lot of training, strength, determination and endurance. The mountain climbers must have a good understanding of the mountains on which they will climb, study the terrain and watch the weather. Many mountain climbers want to scale the highest peaks where few have gone before. Adventure, conquest, success and adrenaline are all part of mountain climbing. When the mountain climbers reach the top of the mountain, they may yell, scream, or even get emotional about what they have achieved. To some climbers it may be a prideful achievement just to show others what they have accomplished. They may want to get on the news channels, or even get mentioned in the Guiness Book of World Records.
In Isaiah 52:7, these mountain climbers are not out for applause, but they are out to take the “good tidings” and spread the Gospel. This sounds a lot like pioneer missionaries that go to remote areas of the globe to tell those in hard-to-reach places about Jesus. These “mountain climbing missionaries” go with the call of God on their lives, the Word of God in their backpacks, and the love of God in their hearts to unreached people groups around the world to publish salvation. To be a mountain climbing missionary requires a special call from God, unwavering obedience, great faith, unconditional love for God and souls, and a life-long commitment to do God’s will.
It may not be necessary for you to climb the highest and most dangerous mountain, but you should be willing to go if it’s God’s will for your life. Would you go if God were to call you to go? Not everyone is called to go to mountain ranges or remote areas of the jungles, but God has called some, and because they obeyed, a church was started, and many wicked “heathens” were saved. To God be the glory!
Do you want to do something extreme? Be a missionary to unreached people. There could be unreached people around the corner from where you live. There could be Muslims at your local convenience store. There may be Hindus at hotels where you may stay as you travel. You may encounter Deaf at the grocery store. Don’t miss those opportunities to share the Gospel.
May God give us more mountain climbing missionaries with beautiful feet to proclaim the Good News of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ!
Written by DLB on July 14, 2025, while having devotions and reading in Isaiah.