This summer, I once again got to go visit one of my favorite places on earth, Alaska! And I sailed into my favorite spot, Glacier Bay. That national park has some 3.3 million acres of pristine beauty in the form of rivers, valleys, glaciers, and unbelievable mountains. There are 89 unnamed peaks in the park and 26 more have names of their own. And lording it over them all is Mount Fairweather, standing 15,266 feet tall.
Staring at those magnificent mountains, it is easy to feel very small and insignificant. Mountains are huge and appear to be unmovable. But our message this past Sunday encouraged us to remember that God definitely moves mountains for His kids.
Both Matthew and Mark comment on this biblical truth in their gospels (Matthew 17:20 and Mark 11:22-24). Matthew tells us that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can participate in moving those mountains.
The issue isn’t the size of our faith (the tiniest bit will suffice). It is the object of our faith that controls the outcome. When our faith is rooted in Christ, we have undefinable power at our disposal. He just wants to see us engaged through prayer.
E.M. Bounds once commented, “Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.”
So, what is God referring to when He mentions mountains? Well, I think they are anything that blocks our view of the Lord. A mountain is anything that temporarily stops your spiritual progress.
Sometimes mountains spring up out of our family life. The stresses of raising teenagers, the pressures from in-laws or the weight of caring for the elderly. Sometimes mountains appear in the context of personal suffering. Our bodies betray us, and the pain gets to be too much. Or sometimes, we face a mountain of our own sinfulness. Our poor choices loom over us.
In all those cases, God asserts that He still moves mountains. Perhaps it is moved one pebble at a time, but it can be moved.
But it will always be a work of His Spirit. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)
So, this week, if you are bumping into some tall crags in your life, remember that it is focused prayer and a seed of faith that can move things. “Watch out Below!”
Staring at those magnificent mountains, it is easy to feel very small and insignificant. Mountains are huge and appear to be unmovable. But our message this past Sunday encouraged us to remember that God definitely moves mountains for His kids.
Both Matthew and Mark comment on this biblical truth in their gospels (Matthew 17:20 and Mark 11:22-24). Matthew tells us that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can participate in moving those mountains.
The issue isn’t the size of our faith (the tiniest bit will suffice). It is the object of our faith that controls the outcome. When our faith is rooted in Christ, we have undefinable power at our disposal. He just wants to see us engaged through prayer.
E.M. Bounds once commented, “Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.”
So, what is God referring to when He mentions mountains? Well, I think they are anything that blocks our view of the Lord. A mountain is anything that temporarily stops your spiritual progress.
Sometimes mountains spring up out of our family life. The stresses of raising teenagers, the pressures from in-laws or the weight of caring for the elderly. Sometimes mountains appear in the context of personal suffering. Our bodies betray us, and the pain gets to be too much. Or sometimes, we face a mountain of our own sinfulness. Our poor choices loom over us.
In all those cases, God asserts that He still moves mountains. Perhaps it is moved one pebble at a time, but it can be moved.
But it will always be a work of His Spirit. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)
So, this week, if you are bumping into some tall crags in your life, remember that it is focused prayer and a seed of faith that can move things. “Watch out Below!”
Sherry Worel
Sherry Worel is a Bible teacher at heart and lives a life of ministry. She’s been involved at Coast Hills teaching Women’s LIFE, Bible studies, online courses, devotionals, participating in Upstream conversations, and much more. Having a love for education, Sherry has over 50 years of teaching experience with schools, churches, and mission agencies. As well as earning her Master’s at Talbot Seminary, she rounded out her education with 35 years as Head of School at Stoneybrooke Christian School. Sherry is happiest with a book or fishing pole in hand.