Faith that Moves Mountains

Have you ever wondered why our faith doesn’t move mountains?  What was Christ talking about when He spoke about this to His disciples?  Twice Jesus told His disciples that if they had faith like a mustard seed that they could do jaw-dropping things for Him.   So, what exactly is mustard seed faith?

The disciples longed for more faith in order to do great things for God (Mt. 17; Lk. 17).  They longed for more faith in order to cast out the toughest of demons and to forgive the brother or sister who continued to sin against them.   Jesus tells them that they do not need great faith; they just need a little faith.  Jesus speaks about the smallest amount of faith such as that of a mustard seed (the smallest seed known in its day).  This is actually encouraging news.  You see a small amount of faith in the right object is all that is truly needed.

Our faith makes a difference not because it is great but because our God is great!  God is sovereign and capable of bringing about anything He desires.  God is always working all things out according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11).  In Jesus’ illustration He is not talking about literally moving mountains and there is no example of this in Scripture.  He is helping us to know that stunning things happen when we place our faith in the right object~~God alone. 

There are times that we petition God for our desires and needs and yet we fail to see God bring the results that we desire.  At times, God has answered and the answer is sometimes no or not now.  If you remember, Paul prayed to God three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh” that caused Paul to be afflicted with discomfort.  Did Paul lack mustard seed faith?  God’s response to Paul was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:7-10).  It was not a matter of lack of faith but rather God being glorified through dependence upon Him in difficult times.

Mountain moving faith must be based on God’s promises in His Word and on God’s will for our lives.  God will not work against the principles established in His Word.  Sometimes our prayers are for things that don’t please the heart of God.  Some times our prayers are for things that God may want to take care of in a different way.  Our mustard seed faith placed in the right object of our faith (God alone) can accomplish much.  However, God is not our genie in a bottle who grants our every wish and whose desire is to only make us happy and comfortable in this short life.  God’s desire is that in all things that His great name might be glorified through our lives.  God loves our dependence upon Him for strength, wisdom, and our satisfaction. 

Faith that moves mountains is a faith that trusts God to be God.  It is a faith that trusts God to do what He desires to do in His own timing.  This type of faith always believes that God can do more than we could ever think or imagine.  Let’s be mountain movers for God’s glory!