Challenging Days!

All things are possible for one who believes. Mark 9:23

A challenge is defined as a call to take part in a contest or an objection to the truth of something, often with demand for proof.

The times in which we are living are presenting some challenging days. We have watched as a devastating virus spreads through our nation and our world, we have lived through a contentious election, and now, in the aftermath, we are witnessing protests which are threatening authority, democracy, and our way of life.

Challenging days bring with them different feelings and emotions. We’ve heard people express anger, disbelief, fear, anxiety, and sadness. It seems as if there is a mountain that has been placed among us, and despite all our efforts, we as a people can’t make any progress in moving it!

Jesus said, Whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

If you have ever traveled out west, you know that when you behold the enormity of the Rocky Mountains – the height, the depth, the width -of them, no human mind can conceive asking them to move out of the way!! The closer you get, the more insurmountable they seem. Asking that mountain to move is a challenge far beyond human capability.

It’s noted that Jesus never physically moved or relocated a mountain in His ministry, so He was talking about the mountains of problems and challenges that we create or are thrust upon us in this life.

So, how do we as Christians go about doing our part to move the mountains in these challenging days? In the scripture above Jesus speaks only once about our need for faith, but three times He mentions our need to speak His word. Why is that? Because if we don’t have enough faith to move our mouth and speak God’s word, we won’t have enough faith to move these mountains in these challenging days and every day.

A dear friend reminded me lately of the ways our church came together in every tragedy since 911 to pray for God to move the mountain we were facing. As soon as tragedies of 911, the Gulf War, and Columbine occurred, the church came together for Holy Communion to speak God’s word and invoke His power to remove the mountains of fear, anxiety, lawlessness, and tragedy. There was much peace afterwards because we had renewed faith that God would listen to His people. We left with assurance that God would hear our prayers and move the mountains.

Something really wonderful happens when we verbalize God’s Word. Our ears hear it, our mind is renewed, our focus is changed, and our faith rises up within us. If we just hold onto that renewed faith, refuse to be discouraged or budge, and keep on speaking God’s word aloud, the mountain will begin to move.

Let’s put all the thoughts and doubts of our natural mind aside and stand on God’s promises. We must keep declaring, “We may not know how or when, but we know this mountain is moving.”

Keep the faith and remember, Before you can trust, you have to listen. But, unless Christ’s word is spoken, there’s nothing to listen to. Romans 10:17