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)
I often read this passage and wondered if you really could move a mountain if you had enough faith. You know, one minute you are looking at it and the next minute it’s gone…..moved to the right or the left. I had (okay, have) my doubts that I could physically move a mountain.
Recently, I decided to do a fast one day a week. There are three types of fasts. A food fast where you abstain from food totally, a modified food fast where you give up some food like sugar or coffee and a soul fast where you give up something in your life that you do a lot. All of these are done to spend more time in prayer with emphasized dependence on Jesus. I chose not to do a food fast for a lot of reasons that are too complicated to explain here so I do a soul fast. I gave up noise. Noise on my fast days are fasting from social media, TV, radio, audio books or anything that makes noise in my head. I fast for 24 hours each week.
Now that you have the background, when I started the fast I decided to make a list of things I wanted to especially pray for. You know, like when I went to look at Facebook and realized I was fasting so I’d pray. I came up with a list of 10 things that were really important to me. And the thought popped into my head “This is a mountain of things to pray for.” And it was. Each thing on the list are huge God things. God has to move for them to become what he wants them to become. They are all big audacious prayers (BAPs).
I realized as I looked at my mountain that it would take some faith to move them. And I realized that some days my faith was super, duper small…..like a mustard seed. But Jesus said “If your faith is teeny weeny like a mustard seed, you can still apply it to the mountain.” So I do.
I have lovingly come to call my list “The Mountain.” When praying I often say Lord, please move the mountain. And you know what, there has been and is tiny movement on the mountain. The entire mountain has not yet gotten up and moved (maybe that’s because I put some BAPs on there) but there is crumbling here and there. Some things shifted to a different spot. Some parts have fallen away all together. God is at work on my mountain.
I know he’s at work on yours too. Take all of those things that you are staring at that seem so overwhelming and put them on the mountain. Then, apply the tiniest amount of faith and keep at it. Every day pray for the mountain in your life and watch God move it.