Moving Mountains

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." -Matthew 17:20


I'll be the first to admit that when Jesus says in the Gospels, "I tell you the truth...", I will theologically agree with Him. However, my heart has the audacity to question Him. I do not have great faith. I sometimes wonder of my faith would even be the size of a mustard seed. Perhaps my faith wouldn't even fill the belly of a gnat.

My God is still greater (inside and out) that my failure of a mustard seed. If faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, that's great. Personally, I haven't needed any mountains moved; they seem pretty fine right where they are. However, I've needed hearts changed, diseases cured, favor granted, protection provided, etc. Somehow, my gnat's belly of faith seems not even adequate for this. God is still greater.

God proved this point to me profoundly through my goat. I have a pretty LaMancha doe named Milky Way who was a delight to milk this year. She steadily provided a gallon per day for several months on end. However, into her fourth month of lactation, she developed a horrible case of mastitis. Instead of producing milk, she began to only pass blood clots from her udder. As has been my custom, I laid hands on her and prayed for her healing. However, I had a friend who only weeks earlier had to send in her best Alpine doe to the butcher because she had a bad case of mastitis, too. I didn't really have much faith that Milky Way would be healed. I put her in with the other goats and stopped trying to milk her or treat her altogether. Cases of mastitis like this rarely heal, so I began to plan on having her butchered once her udder dried out completely.

After a week of passing her by on milking, I found her standing at the gate one morning, bawling. I looked at her and realized her udder was enormous. I let her out and she happily trotted to the milk stand. I washed down her udder and had my antibacterial soap ready because I was fully expecting her normal blood clots to come out. To my amazement, nothing but sweet, foamy milk came out and filled my pail. Again, that evening-- pure milk. I continued milking her for another three months before drying her out.

You see, it's not my faith that moves mountains-- it's my God. Instances like this simply grow my faith so that I trust God in the future to be my mountain mover. When I trust Him, we are more intimate--that is why faith is so important--it's not because faith actually (in and of itself) does anything.

My friend, I tell you the truth-- God is big; God is good. Faith in Him can only bring you closer to His heart. Watch mountains move, darkness flee, trees clap hands, and rocks cry out-- God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

"Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. But, 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord'. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." -2 Corinthians 10:15-18