Moving Mountains: When Problems Seem Too Big

Have you ever faced a problem so great, that it feels as though the path of your life is blocked by a mountain? This towering mountain cannot be crossed, shifted, let alone moved, so you become frustrated because every effort feels useless or impossible.

Problems that seem bigger than life are like mountains in our spiritual lives. What causes them, and how do we overcome them?

The Result of Little Faith

He said to them, “Because you have so little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain: Move from here to there, and this mountain will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20 

When Jesus spoke about faith that is able to move mountains, He was not referring to a literal mountain. Yet Jesus was indeed near the mountain where He was transfigured—His face shone like the sun and His clothes became dazzling white (Matthew 17:2). According to Christian tradition and the arguments of a number of scholars, it is thought to have been Mount Tabor, which has an elevation of 575 meters.

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After that, when Jesus came down and met the crowd, a father pushed through the crowd and knelt at His feet. He pleaded for Jesus' mercy to cast out the demon that was inhabiting his son's body. Apparently, even though the boy had already been brought to His disciples, his son still was not healed.

Hearing this, Jesus said:

Then Jesus said, “You unbelieving and misguided generation, how much longer must I stay among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me!” – Matthew 17:17 

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It was not that Jesus' disciples could not cast out demons. It is said in Mark 3:14-15 that when Jesus sent out His twelve disciples, He gave them authority to cast out demons. They could even heal the sick (Mark 6:12). What caused His disciples to fail to do it at that time was that they had too little faith, or lacked faith.

In life, you surely have gone through many things. It is impossible for your life to be completely smooth. There must have been hard seasons you have gone through. But if God has carried you through all of that, will He not also be able to carry you through your present difficulty?

Thin faith can make us see the gentle hills of life as high and steep mountains. So, do you believe that God will help you?

Your Unbelief, a “Problem” for God

Then they were offended and rejected Him. So Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and in his own house.” And because of their unbelief, He did not do many miracles there. – Matthew 13:57-58 

What became an obstacle for Jesus' disciples in the previous point was not the greatness of that demon's power. Nor was it the possessed child or his father. Rather, it was because they did not place enough faith in the authority they had received from Jesus.

The same thing happened when Jesus visited His hometown, Nazareth. It was not that His power had lost its strength. Nor was it because Nazareth was inhabited by evil demons. Rather, because the people of that town had no faith, so Jesus' miracles did not happen.

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So, it may be that what makes the mountain of your life's problems seem hard to defeat is your own faith. In other words, your unbelief can become a “problem” for Jesus to work miracles in your life.

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything at all too hard for Me?” – Jeremiah 32:27

Remember, not a single thing is impossible for God. Not even a mountain of struggle or problems that seems impossible to tear down!

Move That Mountain with Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed

Perhaps we often think, “If I have faith, whatever I ask from God will happen!” Is that really true?

Let us look at events in the lives of several Bible figures who are well known for their faith:

• Faith did not spare Job from disaster, but it helped him endure through trial.
• It did not keep Daniel out of the lions' den, but it kept him from being harmed while he was in it.
• Faith also did not free Daniel's friends from the punishment of the fiery furnace, but they were not burned in it.
• It did not spare Stephen from being stoned, but it enabled him to forgive those who did it and to be a witness of Christ until the very last moment of his life.

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Faith does not keep you from the mountains of life's problems. You are mistaken if you think that by having faith, you will be free from problems.

Even more, great faith is not about how we manage to escape suffering, but about how we entrust ourselves completely and obey God's will.

To move this spiritual mountain, you need only faith as small as a mustard seed. This seed is among the smallest in the plant world. So, if your problems and struggles today still look as big as a mountain, it means your faith is smaller than a mustard seed.

Let us change our mindset and repent. Do not see problems as something greater than God. Instead, see how through faith, God is able to move even problems as large as a mountain!

Take heart!

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References: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_of_Jesus www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tabor

Related Articles:

• Christian Faith: Faith to Walk on Water
• Worry: The Parasite That Eats Away at Faith
• Rise Again: Face Crisis with Christ
• Signs of Depression You Do Not Realize
• Which Saves: Grace or Faith in God?

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