Thursday, May 15, 2014

Mountain Moving
By Elin Henderson

“So Jesus answered…them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” it will be done.’”
 Matthew 21:21 (NKJV, emphasis added)
         
After living on the flat coast of Africa and then in Florida, I am always overwhelmed and amazed to travel into “mountain” country. Whether it’s the Drakensburg Mountains of South Africa or the Rocky Mountains here in the US, I am awed by the size and magnitude of these seemingly immovable landmarks.
           
So, when Jesus says to the disciples, “If you have faith, you can tell that mountain to be removed and cast into the sea, and you know, it will happen,” the impossibility of the task from a human perspective isn’t hard to imagine. Granted, most of us aren’t needing actual mountains moved, but let’s face it, we all have some pretty BIG mountains in our lives. Mt. Fear, Mt. Insecurity, Mt. Hurt, Mt. Unforgiveness, to name a few. The size and magnitude of these monsters in our lives can be overwhelming and lead us to despair or despondency.

Jesus is calling us like He did His disciples - - to face our mountains with faith and not doubt, not because we  can move that mountain, but because HE CAN !  Is He bigger than our mountains? Is He stronger? Is He able? The answer is always YES! When we believe that He is able and have faith in His ability, then the ground starts to rumble and the mountain begins to move. 

Look again at this verse. It isn’t just removing the mountain. It is casting it into the sea. There is closure when something sinks beneath the waters. Then, when we recall the mountains, all we’ll see is a sign floating from God reading, “No swimming and absolutely no SCUBA diving permitted.” So, let’s start moving some mountains, and when the sea swallows them up, let’s obey the signs and stay out of the water!

GOING DEEPER:                                             
1. Are there any mountains you can “name” in your life today?
2. How does seeing that “no swimming” sign in the waters help us have victory?

FURTHER READING:

Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to thirteen-year-old Callie and eleven-year-old Elias. They are currently in America on Home Assignment.