Do you have special verses of the Bible that come to you more often than others? I do, and I think I know why. They are not verses of some deep mystery, nor are they of special doctrinal wisdom. They just live in my mind and appear out of the experiences of my day.

Both of my verses have a common thread. The first, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills..." (Psalms 121:1) and the second, "the cattle upon a thousand hills." (Psalms 50:10) The first comes to me almost daily in my times of thought. The second is triggered over and over as I see cattle on a hillside.

Obviously, thoughts of "hills" tend to run with me where ever I go. Just the mention of the word brings peace to my mind. Is it because I was born in the hills? I really do not know. Many I know who were born in the hills have little regard for them today. To some they represent a time of hardship and poverty. I understand that, but that seldom comes to mind when I think of them. I think of beauty, peace and while some might not think this a high point, I think of solitude.

Thinking on things of beauty is of great value to anyone. The impact of the world around us is so focused on tragedy, mayhem, and crime that one needs a place to go, if only in one's mind, to find that thing of beauty. Beauty brings a smile to one's very soul!

If we focus on the "what ifs" of life in this troubled time, we remain in constant agitation. However, if we can find a place of peace, we can be renewed and uplifted. I said some might not consider solitude a thing to be desired, but I very much do. Where else can one find the time to truly consider his or her place in the hands of God?

Thinking on things of beauty is of great value.
When I literally go to the hills, I may sit for a day before my busy mind slows down enough to really listen for God in my heart. Just sitting beside a bubbling stream or viewing the outstretched glory of God's creation can move me from anxiety or frustration to calm and joy. It is simply a time and place where God finds room in my often too busy life.

In the popular story, The Sound of Music, "The hills are alive with the sound of music." My hills are alive with the sound of God!