Moving Mountains

Week 49

Do you have any mountains in your pathway today? Maybe your finances are out of control, maybe you are dealing with a health issue that seems like more than you can handle. Maybe your son or daughter is in trouble with the law or maybe they have a drug problem which is causing other problems. Whatever the mountain, God is bigger!

Jesus had just come down from the mountain of transfiguration, he had just met with Moses and Elijah and been encouraged by them. He knew that his time on earth was getting short and that it was going to be up to his disciples to carry on the work of building the kingdom when he was gone. And then he had to deal with their limited faith.

Jesus’ disciples had been unable to remove a demon from a boy. They didn’t understand why they couldn’t remove it. Matthew 17:17-21 “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

In Matthew 21:21-22 we hear Jesus say, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

That is powerful preaching. Did he really mean it? Over and over again Jesus kept telling his disciples that they could ask for things and they would receive them if they asked believing. What are we missing? 

Hear some more of Jesus words:

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 14:13-14 - And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the son may bring glory to the father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 15:7 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.

John 15:16 - You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

John 16:23-24 - In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.

Have you noticed a pattern in what Jesus tells us? It seems to me that we are still wrapped up in ourselves and our needs. It’s not about us. Jesus knew that. He knew that everything he did on earth, every word he spoke, every action was always only to bring glory to his Father. None of the things he did was about him. He was a representative on earth, an ambassador from God. 

As born again believers, we are the same as Jesus. Our lives are no longer about us, they are about God. All of our actions, all of our words, everything we do should be a reflection of our Father. This is a concept that I have in my head, but it hasn’t quite gotten to my heart completely. I know it, I’m sure of it, but there is still so much of the flesh in me that I doubt what I am hearing.

If we could ever really grasp what he was saying to us, this world would be a different place. Why can’t we ‘get it’?

How do we keep our focus on God and not ourselves or the problems in our lives? Is there a trick? Even as I write this book, there is a mountain that looms before me. I have never written a book before. God placed the desire to write this book in my spirit more than two years ago. I have stopped for a time and then started again. At times I just wanted to quit, but he would always draw me back. He is expecting me to finish it. 

Now that most of the writing is finished, the task before me is to find a publisher and get the book into print. That, my friend, is a mountain or at least it seems like one. I am an unpublished writer. God has backed me all the way in the writing of this devotional book, but how do I explain that to a publisher? They want books written by well-known writers, not by someone they have never heard of.

My prayer right now is “I do believe, help thou my unbelief.”

Am I going to continue looking at the mountain (getting published), or am I going to look at God. What would Jesus do in this situation? Well, I’m just thinking out loud right now - God asked me to write this book, he has enabled me to persevere and not give up. His spirit has been the one guiding me each step of the way. Every time I sat down to write, I would ask the holy spirit to speak through me. God has been in the drivers seat with this project every mile of the way. 

When I think back I remember thinking that I was not an artist and couldn’t do the drawings, I even asked my talented sister to consider drawing the pictures, but God wanted me to do that part also. His hand has been in this book from the very moment I started. No wait, I have to back up a little. Some of these drawings date back more than 10 years. He knew even then, that I would one day write this book and include pictures. 

If God knew all that about me and this book, why would I now think that I won’t find a publisher? God has a plan for this project, he will continue to lead me where I need to go to get it published. Why am I doubting?

Did you see how that worked? I did, and I am amazed myself. I took the focus off myself and the problem and put it on God. We can do the same thing no matter what the mountain may be. 

Let’s try the same process with an imaginary issue. Let’s say that your company has been downsized and you are among those that have to be let go. That’s a mountain, right? Your family depends on you as a the primary bread-winner to make enough money to pay the mortgage, utility bills, buy food and clothing, etc. How do you handle the situation? What would Jesus do?

Think about it and verbally talk about the situation with God. Father, you gave me the job that I had, it has met all the needs of my family for years. Now I am without an income, I will have unemployment benefits for a few months, but they will eventually run out and unless I have another job, we will have to sell the house, and could even end up homeless. (There is the focus on self.)

Father, you are the one who gave me the job that I had, it has met all the needs of my family for years. I know that if you gave me that job, you are able to give me another job. You know that we need to eat, we need a roof over our heads and that we need a decent income. You are the God who has provided for me all my life and I am sure that you will provide for me now. I am trusting you to lead me to the new job. I look to you to guide my footsteps. I believe that you have something better for me, because I know that you have a purpose and a plan for my life. Thank you for always meeting my needs. I trust in you.(There is the focus on God.)

The mountains will always loom before us, they may look bigger or smaller, they may appear closer or at a distance, but they are there. As long as we live, we will have mountains to climb or throw into the sea. We have a choice when we see these mountains. How will we react to them. 

I challenge you to take your eyes off the mountain and instead focus on the Sovereign God of the universe. Jesus was our example, he taught us to ask for things in his name, he asked us to look to God for answers. 

“So do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34.

As an end note: I still have not found a publisher for this book, but I started this blog almost a year ago as a way of sharing what God gave me. Maybe this is the avenue that God had planned. Also, I lost my job in March 2010 and have been unable to find a new one. I'm looking to God to provide for our needs and he has never let us down in the past. I'm trusting in Him and doing what I know to do until He shows me what I am to do next.