Faith Can Move Mountains

I recently returned home from an extended road trip to California. The views, as always, were spectacular as I drove through the San Joaquin Valley, into the surrounding mountains, and across the desert of Arizona. The various types of mountain formations I encountered on my journey were fascinating.

I began thinking of the mountains I observed. Some mountains are preceded by gently rolling foothills, similar to the ones I grew up with in the oilfields of Taft, before giving way to tall, rugged peaks. Others seem to rise from the sea in defiance of the pounding of the waves. Some of the most beautiful mountains are carved by glaciers out of solid granite, while others seem to literally pop out of the flat landscape.

All mountains have one thing in common … they are created by incredible forces both beneath the surface of the earth and above it. My thoughts turned to an examination of my own life and the mountains existing in my world. I have mountains of fear, failure, loneliness, and abandonment. These mountains are created and shaped by the stresses of career, family, relationships, and daily life. What do I do about these mountains? Do I climb them? Do I go around them? Do I walk away from them in defeat? Do I look at them with awe and respect? The Bible, as always, gives me insight into the answer.

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20 (NLT)