Meet Me at the Mountaintop

Day 1 - When the plan changed, but the promise didn’t

Dear Diary,

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” - Psalms 23:6 (NKJV)

Birthdays have always held a special place in my heart. Right after Christmas, it’s my favorite celebration. It’s a sacred pause that allows me to look back on the year that’s passed and sit with God in hopeful expectation for what the new one might hold.

In 2019, I was gifted a dream jar at my graduation, and ever since, I’ve kept a quiet tradition of writing down my dreams and desires for the year ahead and revisiting them on or just before my birthday. That time of reflection has become a rhythm of gratitude and grace. I get to celebrate the dreams that came to pass, release the ones still unfolding, and surrender fresh hopes into God's hands.

This year, though, I found myself torn. Turning 29 felt both significant and strange. It’s the last lap of my twenties, and while part of me wanted to mark it in a meaningful way, the other part was already anticipating the milestone ahead, my golden birthday: where I turn 30 on the 30th. Naturally, I brought that tension to God, asking how He wanted me to mark this in-between season. And in that sacred space, I heard Him whisper, “Meet Me at the mountaintop.”

So I began planning a solo birthday retreat to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I found the most peaceful cabin, tucked away near a creek, with the name Keturah’s Creek, and the Bible girl in me took it as a divine wink. Everything seemed to align perfectly. My tax refund would land just in time, and the amount I expected from the state was exactly what I had budgeted for the trip. I filed my taxes on February 1st, received my federal refund promptly, and settled into a kind of peace, confident that everything was unfolding as it should.

Until it wasn’t.

Weeks passed, and my state refund was nowhere to be seen. I told myself not to worry, perhaps God was simply holding it until I needed it. After all, I’ve been on a journey of healing around money, slowly untangling myself from a scarcity mindset and learning what it means to truly trust Him as Provider. But by week six, concern had crept in. I reached out to my accountant, only to find that the return was still processing and could take up to twelve weeks. Even if it was approved, the site said it would take another ten business days to hit my account. A quick calendar check told me I wouldn’t receive the funds until May 9th, nine days after my birthday trip.

So I returned to Him with a few questions: “Did I misunderstand You? Was the mountaintop metaphorical? Was I holding on to a promise You never actually gave?” But then God gave me a new instruction, one I didn’t want to hear: Cancel the Airbnb. 

I didn’t obey right away. I wrestled, I argued and I stalled. But on March 26th, with a reluctant heart, I let go and canceled the reservation. With it, I released the birthday trip I had so looked forward to.

I told myself I’d use the time off to rest, and maybe do something small to celebrate later. But honestly, I was disappointed. It felt strange to imagine my birthday coming and going like it was just another day. Yet deep down, I knew that God’s plans rarely look like mine. I held on to that truth, even when my heart didn’t fully feel it.

Then, on April 18th, my cousin sent me a random TikTok. No context, no caption, just the video. It’s something we often do, sending each other reels and TikToks, but this one caught me off guard. It was a video of Pretty Place Chapel, captioned: “Probably needed a hug, but I took a solo trip to Pretty Place Chapel.”

That chapel had been on my list to visit since 2022. Back then, I didn’t have a car or know how to drive, so I shelved the dream. But now, now I did. As I replied to my cousin’s message, I felt a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit: “Why don’t you go there for your birthday?” And without skipping a beat, I responded, “With what money?” I reminded Him playfully but honestly that the tax refund still hadn’t come and this wasn’t something I had budgeted for.

Still, I felt led to check the website. Pretty Place sits on the YMCA Camp Greenville property and is only open to the public on specific dates and time blocks that change daily and hourly. Would you believe that on my birthday, they were open from 6 AM to 2 PM and again from 6 PM to 9 PM? And the day before and after had equally open windows. I checked the distance and it was just three hours away. I even imagined watching the sunrise from the Chapel, soaking in the morning light as I welcomed 29. The website listed nearby accommodations, and suddenly it all felt possible again.

So I told God, “If You really said to meet You at the mountaintop, then I trust You to provide a way.”

As the week unfolded, friends kept asking about my birthday plans, and since I still didn’t have clarity, I simply told them I’d be spending the day with God. Meanwhile, I created a backup plan (because I really don’t know how to just sit), I’d use the time off to rest on the 29th, then wake up early on my birthday, drive to the Chapel by 6AM, enjoy the sunrise, spend some quiet time in God’s presence, and return home. I budgeted just enough for gas and felt comfortable with the compromise.

But on April 23rd, God asked me to sow the gas money into a ministry. At this point I was like seriously God? I hesitated briefly, but eventually obeyed. And just like that, my backup plan was gone too. It felt like a final act of surrender. With no plan and no money, I was officially out of options.

Yet maybe for the first time, I finally made space for God to write the story.

I often joke that God shows up at the 11th hour, but the truth is, it’s usually not because He’s late, it’s because I only make room that late. After all my striving and planning and fixing, I finally surrender. And that surrender? It’s something I’m learning to practice daily, not just in the big things, but in the quiet, ordinary moments too.

On the same day I gave away my backup plan, my friend invited me to a Saturday morning prayer service at his church, scheduled for April 26th. I said yes, knowing exactly what I was taking to the altar. My birthday was four days away, and I needed divine clarity. I was ready for God to speak.

But on that Saturday morning, as I rushed out the door, running late despite my best intentions, I received a notification from my banking app. A deposit had hit my account! It wasn’t payday nor was it expected. I checked the source, my long awaited state refund had finally been deposited. Though the notice said to expect a minimum of 10 business days, it had cleared in just one.

My God of the 11th hour had arrived, right on time.

Needless to say, my prayer that morning shifted from desperate intercession to overflowing gratitude. And I added just one more request: “Lord, if You’re sending me to the mountaintop, then meet me there for real.”

After prayers, I went home and booked my hotel in Asheville, NC- a city in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. A friend shared her corporate discount, which reduced the cost even more. On the morning of April 29th, as I was preparing to leave my house to head to the hotel, I received another unexpected gift, a complimentary room upgrade: a King room with a mountain view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. God was already showing off. 

Everything was falling into place again. But when I checked the Chapel website one last time, I saw the hours had shifted, now they were opening at 8AM instead of 6AM, which meant no sunrise. I felt a twinge of disappointment but chose to trust that God still had something special in store. 

The next morning, I left at 6:30AM to head to the Chapel. As I drove, the roads were covered  in thick, blinding fog. I whispered a quiet thank you to God. Had I left at 5AM as originally planned, driving would have been dangerous. But as I would come to find, the fog wasn’t the only reason for the delay.

When I arrived, Pretty Place Chapel took my breath away. The photos I had seen online and the TikTok videos didn’t do it justice. It was quiet, peaceful, almost sacred. I put on worship music and began to worship, first softly, then freely. God asked me to worship the way I would if it were just the two of us, so I did. And while I worshipped, He gave me the anchor verse for this birthday: Psalm 23:6. The only thing I wanted in this new year was for His goodness and mercy to follow me.

As I sat in stillness, a woman named Lulu approached and asked to borrow my Bible to take some pictures by the cross with it. A few moments later, her friend Yanna came over, told me she had taken pictures of me while I worshipped, and said that my posture of surrender had inspired them to do the same. She offered to send me the photos and then asked why I was there. When I mentioned I was there for my birthday, she asked if she could pray over me.

She spoke Numbers 6:24–26 over my life:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

When she asked what I had wished for my birthday, I smiled and shared that: “I asked God to meet me here.” And I could already see that He had.

Lulu asked if we could worship together, and I was a little shy because we were in public. But before we began, another group arrived and sat on a bench across from us. One of them began playing “Trust in God” by Elevation Worship from their phone, and without hesitation, we all joined in. Our voices were lifted, our hearts opened and we truly felt Heaven touching earth.

Afterward, Lulu asked if we could sing “Goodness of God” over me, a gift, she said, to come into agreement with my prayer that His goodness and mercy would follow me all my days. She asked the group if we could and again, we all worshipped together.

When the song ended, we formed a circle, held hands, and prayed. It reminded me of home. Every family gathering, before every departure and every journey always ended with a hymn; Twasema Asante and a prayer from a designated auntie. In that sacred moment, I realized why the Chapel's opening had been delayed. God had orchestrated this encounter. These people, this hour and this atmosphere.

It’s been five years since I celebrated my birthday with my family, and this year, I had begun to feel homesick. But God, He met me on the mountaintop with a taste of home, a whisper of His presence, and a gift I’ll never forget.

So, to anyone reading this, let this entry be a reminder, no desire is too small for the Father who knows you intimately. He is the God of details, the God of divine timing, the God of last-minute miracles, and the best gift-giver you’ll ever know. What matters to you, matters to Him. So take your requests to Him. 

Even though I didn’t catch the sunrise this time... something tells me the story isn’t over yet.

(See you on Day 2, diary.)

From my heart to yours,
Love,
Nandi