Mountain and Faith
“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”
Mark 11:23 ESV
Towering, jagged rock blocks our paths. The mountain’s peak is too high to climb, and its base is too wide to circumvent. It casts a long shadow that clouds our minds with fear, doubt, and uncertainty.
How can I keep my family safe and healthy? Is my career in jeopardy? When will I feel the warm embrace of a hug from a loved one again? Why is this happening and when will it be over?
Pandemic Mountain has us all asking these questions. The rampant uncertainty, isolation, and fear manifest differently in each person. For me, there was anxiety about how COVID-19 would affect the good works God started in me.
When could I pursue marriage with the beautiful woman God brought into my life? Would the stall out of the economy affect lifelong dreams that were so close to coming to fruition? Could isolation plunge me back into dead habits and sin?
Those questions nagged at the back of my mind until they eventually made it to the front. Stress continued to build, and I felt helpless. In those dark moments I defaulted to this passage, recognizing how Jesus talked about the power of faith. I thought, if I could just believe hard enough, all the things I wanted would come true in a flash.
They didn’t. They still haven’t.
That brought on a whole new set of questions. Maybe I didn’t have faith. What if my faith wasn’t strong enough for God to act? It seemed so quick for the woman who touched the fringes of Jesus’ robe and was healed. Plus, I’m a millennial . . . instant gratification is kind of our thing.
Still, the Holy Spirit kept that scripture cycling through my mind. I thought about it so much that it made it into a writing project on which I’d been working. That’s when, like a bolt of lightning, God opened my eyes to the fact that I’d been reading the scripture wrong my entire life.
Peace in the Process
Jesus isn’t describing an instantaneous process. Nowhere in the passage does Jesus say the mountain will immediately get up and throw itself into the sea. So often we hit our knees and bow our heads in faithful acknowledgement of God’s power with full expectation we’ll see a miracle. But, as the days pass, our faith gives way to doubt.
My doubt wasn’t in God, but instead, myself. I felt like my faith wasn’t enough for God to act. What did I have to change to move that mountain? What could I do within myself to change my circumstances?
I, me, my, myself. The gospel doesn’t hinge on me. I’m not the hero of my story. There’s nothing I could ever do in my own power that could move that mountain.
The gospel hinges on Jesus Christ. He is the hero of all our stories. He moves the mountain.
Realizing that I play no part in moving the mountain, makes me realize what Jesus meant when he said, ‘my yoke is easy, and my burden is light’. All we must do is speak in faith. God does the rest.
Instead of striving to force things to happen, I’ve called to mind all the times I’ve witnessed God act in my life. Remembering answered prayers, mended relationships, and the fruit He’s borne in our lives helps to continuously renew our faith. The more we call to mind what Jesus has done for us, the more certainty we can have that He will come through again.
Since coming to that realization, I’ve seen God shifting my mountains. Friends started reaching out to help me stay a holy path, providing the community I needed. New opportunities sprouted out of nowhere. The challenges of quarantine forged stronger bonds between my girlfriend and I in preparation for the life we hope to build together.
My mountains haven’t disappeared, but they’re moving.
Rest in the assurance that the mountain is moving. Rejoice at every inch it shifts and add that movement into your memory. Take solace in the certainty Jesus affirms with the promise of this verse. If we truly believe, all we need to do is speak to the mountain and it WILL come to pass, it WILL be done FOR US.
The Largest Mountain
Every mountain is different. Pandemic Mountain seems daunting to us all. So are depression, addiction, relational strife, anxiety, confusion, and every other scar we bear. However, when we examine the gospel, we’re not unlike another group that battled doubt.
I think of the disciples in the days following Jesus’ crucifixion, but before His resurrection. I often find myself ravaged by doubt when it feels like God is far. They were facing a mountain of dashed dreams and uncertain futures. Jesus felt far away and fear sent them into hiding.
Then came the resurrection. Jesus overcame sin, death, and the grave. On that day all the doubt, fear, and anxiety were eradicated by the greatest miracle the world will ever know.
Jesus moved the largest mountain any of us will ever face. He conquered every sin that cursed our existence. He moved the immovable, so we no longer had to live in sin’s shadow. Not only that, but He tossed it into the sea so it might never block the sunlight from reaching us ever again.
Jesus has already cleared our path. His sacrifice removed the mountain of sin that separated us from God. Now, our sin sits at the bottom of the sea and our path to our Father is clear.
Like Pandemic Mountain, we can surrender every obstacle to God and trust Him to move.
-Matt Lucas