First of all, I thought back to a powerpoint I received via e-mail which described the principle P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens). In the story, a man is told by God to push against a huge rock (aka, pray against a mountain). The rock never moves by the man's pushing, but he develops (spiritual) muscle in the process. Then God moves the rock.
Now I think of our "mountain moving faith". Here we are, praying (pushing) against this mountain to make it move but the thing won't budge. We become frustrated and ask God what's up? Why won't the mountain move?? And this is where the pictures of the two stories combine: God tells us that we, through our prayer, have built spiritual muscle and stamina that will take us OVER the mountain. We need to start climbing!
When you climb a mountain you are by no means denying the existence of the mountain. If there were no mountain, you would not be climbing! But the act of climbing the mountain testifies that you consider the mountain conquerable and are in fact in the process of conquering it!
Psalm 18:29 For by You I can run through a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
So often when we come to obstacles in our path we want to just pray and wait for God to take the mountain away, when He desires for us to trust in Him enough that we will begin moving forward, whether the mountain has moved or not. That absolute trust says: "Lord, I am moving forward in faith, either the mountain is going to move or You are going to give me the strength and endurance to climb it!"
2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), 6 And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety), 7 And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love. 8 For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
It is true that there are times when things will come "easy" and mountains will move, miracles will happen to reveal God's power and glory. It is equally true that there are times when the glory and faithfulness of God is revealed in the unwavering, steadfast, enduring faith of His disciples.
Psalm 18:25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
Welcome to God's Gym! When you are good and fit, we're gonna go do some mountain climbing...!!
Shalom!! ;o)
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!
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