Faith Can Move a Mountain

Our guest blogger, Dr. Marilyn Murphree, shares faith Scriptures with us, reminding us that nothing is impossible with God – even when it comes to moving mountains in our lives.

The Disabled Man at the Pool: John 5:1-9

All of us have some kind of a mountain in our way that we struggle with day by day.  We try to manage it in a variety of ways like the man whom Jesus met at the pool of Bethesda had.

John 5:5  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. NKJV

This man had difficulties that were mountains, and years went by without the problem being resolved.  The mountain for him was still there after 38 years.  Maybe he put up with his disability for so long that he had learned to live with it.

Jesus spoke to him and asked him, “Do you want to be well?”

What kind of question was that?  One would think that everyone would say, “Of course I want to be well,” but the man answered in an evasive way.   He said, “Every time I get ready to crawl into the pool, someone gets in ahead of me, and I have no one to help me into the pool. “

That was his answer—no one to help me and someone gets ahead of me. Jesus did not comment on his explanation.  He said two things.  “Get up.  Pick up your bed and walk.”

It’s hard to tell what the man was thinking when Jesus said that.  He could have insisted that he sure couldn’t do that.  Couldn’t for 38 years.  He still came to the pool every day, but it was futile to think he would be able to beat someone into the water.

How many times are we just like that?  We pray the same prayer over and over for years. There is no change because there is one reason or another why our mountain can’t be removed.  We say, “My mountain cannot be removed because…” or “My mountain cannot be removed until…”

When Jesus dealt with this man’s mountain, he said to get up and pick up his bed and walk.

Once the man heard what Jesus said and stood to his feet; he left his place of disability.  He stood up, and the mountain was gone, in spite of trying to figure it out for years.

What About Your Mountain?   

What is causing your mountain to stay for years on end?  Have you identified what your mountain really is?  Do you give an excuse for why it is still there?

What do you do when God removes your mountain – when your prayer is answered?  Sometimes we don’t realize that the mountain is gone and pray the same old prayer over the next day and the next.

At the time you pray, don’t keep seeing the mountain looming before you.  That’s what we usually do.  We visualize the wrong things.  We say “I can’t” instead of “I can.”

What Happens When God Moves Your Mountain?

Matthew 11:23-24  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be 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. NKJV

Do we expect our mountain to be removed?  We are told to speak to the mountain.  What do you want your mountain to do?  Our number one problem is that we pray, but really don’t believe it will happen.  Do you really want to be changed, or is change too scary for you?

The man at the pool didn’t have to work.  He was living off of donations.  What if he had to get a job now and change his lifestyle?  He was just in a pattern of settling for years.  The same old same old.  Do you ever just settle?

What if when God removes the mountain we would have to change in our ways and we just don’t want to?  There are a lot of thing to consider.

Sometimes we can’t remember how long it has been since we have had a mountain removed?  How long has it been since we have had a prayer answered?  What would it look like when our mountain is gone? As long as you still see the mountain there, you have an excuse.  Say unto the mountain, “Be thou removed and cast into the sea and shall not doubt and it shall be done.”

So what are you going to do once God has remove the mountain?  How will you fill the empty spaces?

Be Ready to Move On:  Begin Dreaming

If you could move on, where would it be?  What would you want to do?  What are you excited about?  Anything, something, or nothing?

Do not cling to your mountain or the residual of the mountain once you have prayed.  What do you do about the mountain when it is still there?  Believe that it is not going to be forever.  May take a while.  Not always instantaneous.

With health problems sometimes you are told, “You just have to learn to live with it.  If it hasn’t happened by now, it never will.”

We can believe that or keep standing on the word of God.  How do you fill in the empty space once the mountain is gone?  You could take a baby step or a leap of faith.  Speak out what you would like to do.  Put your dreams and imagination into words.  Say “I would like to_______.”

How to make the transition after a long time may take some doing.  Start very slowly or very confidently.  Experiment by doing something new and different. “I would like to, and I think I will try it.”

Look Through the Eye of Faith

Many people keep living as though the mountain is still here after it is gone. How do you know it is gone?  You have spoken to it and told it to go.  Scripture says it will go if you believe.  Look at the mountain through the eye of faith.  It is happening.

The World English Bible says it is happening right now.  It is gone in the spirit realm.  He gives his healing power to drive out sickness and disease.  I have spoken the word of what I wanted the mountain to do. “Go—Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea,” and I did not doubt in my heart. I believed that those things shall happen, and they shall be done.  Shall means it is a sure thing.

Believe that your mountain can be removed, even if it is been one of long standing.  Don’t get into the habit of settling like the man at the pool did for 38 years.

Faith as small as a grain of mustard seed can make things happen.  Nothing shall be impossible to you.

Say these words from Matthew 17:21 and Matthew 21:21: “Go throw yourself into the sea and it will be done.” If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Dr. Marilyn Murphree is a retired guidance counselor and pastor.  You can read a number of her sermons on Sermon Central.

You can also find Marilyn’s books by clicking the Amazon ad below.