MOUNTAIN MOVING FAITH

God gave me an assignment recently – to pray that mountains be removed. I felt in the depths of my spirit the call to pray, and to walk in mountain-moving faith. There is a specific situation for me, but I’ve realized over the past couple of weeks this is how I am to pray for everyone – to pray that emotional mountains of shame and blame go throw themselves into the sea, never to return again!; that mental mountains of fear, defeat, and even those we call mental illnesses, would no longer be fruit-sucking giants blocking our way forward; that physical mountains, all that stuff in our lives, would no longer trap us, smother us, keep us from growing and sharing the fruit of a redeemed spirit – the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and also that those spiritual mountains of doubt, skepticism, distrust, cynicism would be uprooted, never again take up space in hearts, minds and souls. I am literally and figuratively watching mountains move and freedom rise up, the freedom for which Jesus died so can live in this world free indeed. 

Biblical imagery often is designed to help us understand life’s experiences – whether it be successes or obstacles that hinder us. I pray the eyes of our hearts will be opened to the depth of God’s love, His purposes and plans which are altogether good, and to the power God exerts in and through us as we both stand in and walk out lives of faith; as we live and move and find our existence entirely in Him. To our Mountain and our mountain-mover be all the glory and honor and praise.

THE MOUNTAIN

1 Corinthians 13:2 –  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
God grants us mountain-moving faith, and we know it is fruit-filled faith when Agape (God’s unconditional love) is the catalyst of our prayers, petitions, hopes and dreams.

Isaiah 2:2 –  In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

Many things can exalt themselves and become, what seem, insurmountable mountains – but they are only hills dwarfed in the presence of God, who is the source of our faith. Every menacing thought, obstacle, circumstance is actually a  molehill, brought low as we fix our hope on the Lord. I am reminded of Psalm 121 that begins: “I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?” At first I think the Psalmist sees the hills and not the Mountain of the Lord. But then he gets it! “My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.”

Isaiah 52:7 – How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Oh Lord, when mountains seem to be in our way, we pray you will open our ears to hear your good tidings, open our eyes to see your salvation in the midst of this crazy life, to feel your peace when all around is chaos, and to know with every fiber of our being that YOU REIGN! And, Lord, help us to be the ones who proclaim your peace, who bring Good News to all desperate to know there really is good news. Help us be good-news bearers of the grace we find in You, Savior, Redeemer, Lord.

Isaiah 54:10 – Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Mountains and hills often represent obstacles looming before us, and the enemy of our soul wants to preoccupy us with these, to make us feel we are on the verge of erupting, and he even attempts to steal, kill and destroy our faith in our faithful God. But our Lord shouts down the taunts of the enemy with the assurance that God’s love for us is unfailing, his covenant of peace cannot ever be removed from us, and his compassion will always be upon us.

Micah 4:1 – In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.

We are His holy temple. He has established Himself in the very depths of our being, and any other mountain that threatens our peace simply cannot stand in the presence of His glorious grace and love. As He dwells within us, we reflect His beauty, and through us, He draws people from all walks of life, from every tongue, tribe and nation, into His very presence.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAITH

Mark 11:23 –  Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’  and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Jesus, what mountains are in my way? Is it the mountain of defeat, despair, depression, fear, anguish, sorrow, sadness, hopelessness? Am I praying for others but all I see are mountains of skepticism, unbelief, self-sufficiency, doubt, rejection, and the outright lies of the enemy telling me they are too well-rooted to ever be uprooted? WELL, I SAY TO THOSE MOUNTAINS YOU GO THROW YOURSELF INTO THE SEA!! You have no authority here. You are a liar and you cannot thwart the plans and purposes of Almighty God! Lord, I will not doubt your power, your presence, your purposes, and I thank you for the work you are doing in me, in my loved ones, in every circumstance. You alone are Lord!

Matthew 17:20 – Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as  mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

Sometimes mountains are in the way that I cannot see over or around and it is impossible to go through them. But as I draw near to you, Lord, they must flee!!! So I say, in Jesus’ name – get out of my way!!

Matthew 21:21 –  Jesus replied, Truly I tell you, 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.

Just walk away! That’s what I feel I witness when Jesus approaches the unfruitful fig tree, assesses it, and declares, “you will never be fruitful again.” I must evaluate my life all the time in light of God’s calling and purpose for me on this earth, and when I see something is not fruitful it is counterproductive for me to keep pouring effort into it, no matter how good or godly it may appear. All those ideas I carefully plant and cultivate which cease to be productive, it’s ok to walk away, to stop fertilizing them, pouring water on dry ground, and resting underneath greenery that seems appealing even though there are no longer signs of fruitfulness. It takes personal integrity and humility to walk away, and Godly insight to admit something is, in fact, usurping time, talents and energy needed for new seasons of faith and fruitfulness. It’s ok to walk away.

Psalm 121:1-2 –  I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

I see Oahu’s beautiful Ko'olau’s, and every time I gaze upon those majestic mountains, I envision God chiseling every one of them, painting them with His glory, and I hear Him calling me to lift the eyes of my heart to Him. In those moments, whether troubles are brewing or not, I know God, maker of heaven and earth, is my help!

Matthew 14:23-24 –  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Lord, you call me to climb up on the mountainside to pray, to seek your face, to offer my songs of gratitude and praise, and to lay before you all that concerns me today. In this quiet place I find my rest in You. Dwarfed by the majesty of Your presence, every care fades away and I know today and every day I live enveloped in You.

HIS MAJESTY

Psalm 95:1-5 – Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Singing! Joy! Shouting! Thanksgiving! Music!  Oh, my Lord who has the depths of the earth, the heights of the mountains, the vastness of the sea and the beauty of all lands in your hands, thank you for being the Rock of my salvation. Thank you for being my mountain-moving God! What joy it is to know You are the only Mountain that cannot be moved, and the Mountain every other mountain, hill or even valley, bows down to. How majestic! How glorious You are!