Far be it for me to not believe, even when my eyes can’t see.
And this mountain that’s in front of me, Will be thrown into the depths of the sea.
~ Bethel, “It Is Well” ~
I don’t always feel like I have the kind of faith that moves mountains. Or that the mountains in front of me will, or could, move. It seems that some mountains are too stubborn, too big and too ridiculously, well, mountainish.
Have you ever tried standing in front of a mountain and telling it to move? Hey, Everest! You’ve been nice but it’s time to go now. See ya’.
Then again, maybe you have. Maybe you’ve experienced life challenges which seemed insurmountable & you climbed anyway. Or maybe you’re facing one today and you feel so small, so significant, so powerless that you’ve decided to find a cave to crawl into instead.
I’ve had a couple mountains I’ve been praying over for nearly two decades. Doubt creeps in often, tempting me to say that I have no power to do anything about it.
But, it’s not true.
We don’t power ourselves up by having large faith in untrustworthy things. Rather, even one tiny speck of faith in the One who is fully trustworthy is enough to do miraculous things. Because of His power. His power in us.
Tiny faith is enough for God to do mighty wonders in and through us.
It’s not a faith that says, by my own strength, determination and power this mountain moves, but faith that steps forward with what is already given us as believers and in the provision and ability of a great and mighty God. Even if its a small step, but it’s towards Him.
It’s also faith which sees the mountain for what it is. Many times we look at our circumstances and see all the hard things piled together which look like one big mountain, and it is. But we tend to believe that it’s our faith which will make our circumstances change so we can feel better, rather than a trial which God calls us to walk through, with his strength.
Faith responds by saying, “Because you are in my Lord, I can get through this. I can face fear. I can get healed. I can become freer.”
We don’t have control over the decisions of others and the facts of our lives. We do have control over how we respond to them and how much we allow the enemy to play with our minds to tear us down.
I think believers often get stuck betwixt the two. Wanting faith to move mountains but thinking that the mountain only moves if our circumstances are fixed.
Could it be, that our challenging circumstances are the very thing God is using to refine us, strengthen us and show Himself more glorious?
Let’s be clear, if the mountain ahead of you is not the one He’s calling you to move, all effort extended to move it is ineffectual because it’s not bringing about the plan of God. But when you choose to put your faith in Him for the mountain you face, and trust Him with what it looks like to see it moved, you will see glorious things.
Who we believe God is, and what we believe about who He says we are, impacts how we see the mountains ahead of us. And what we can do about it.
If we believe God is a God who obeys our commands and will do what we ask if only we ask with enough faith, then we put undue pressure on ourselves and others. We put ourselves in a position of, in essence, being wiser and mightier than God because we are calling the shots. Not Him. This kind of thinking will wear a weary soul out pretty darn quickly.
God’s power in us is meant to make us dependent on Him, not independent.
On the other hand, if we believe God is in charge and we choose to trust Him, but then leave it that, reticent to do anything else, we miss the amazing work of Christ in and through us. We might be waiting for God to move the mountains for us and all along he’s saying we have His power to do mighty things in His name. Go do it.
God’s power in us is meant to make us realize How great He is and that He is always with us.
We are equipped with His power in us to fulfill His callings, even if our faith is puny.
Friends, we all have mountains ahead of us. We’ve all faced them in one way or another. I believe God is calling each of us to trust Him with even the smallest speck of faith.
I need this message today as much as anyone. Would you stand with me today?
Trust Him with your tiny faith & see how the mountains move.
Thank you for joining me in #31DaystoBelieve as we pursue what we believe and how it impacts our lives.
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May we learn to #livewell.
with love,
Jolene
Doubt has a way of creeping in. Trusting God with you!
Thank you Tara!
A good word, Jolene! I wish I’d read this before writing a post on faith last month – I would have linked to you! – love your perspective here.
Thank you June. I appreciate the thought. 🙂