Meditation from Still Waters Pond

 

I was reading things in the news before I went to bed last night, and I went to bed with a lot of troubling thoughts on my mind regarding our current "world situation", and I tossed and turned all night long. I prayed and asked the Lord to give me peace and help me sleep, but I kept waking up and those thoughts kept coming back to me...and I was praying that God will give me and my family and loved ones the courage to stand strong and not give in to the pressures of the enemy. It was not a restful or peaceful night. I apologize for even sharing this with you now because I certainly don't want to cause anxiety or alarm.  But these are difficult times and we do have grave concerns about the future of our country.

But I woke up this morning and began to read our devotions, and the Psalm that we read was Psalm 9:8-13, but in particular verses 9-10 jumped out at me from the page, and I had to just stop and read it again out loud:  

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 

 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; 

 for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." 

 And then it was so pleasant to look outside and see the Great Blue Heron out there in Still Waters Pond, fishing for his breakfast and finding refuge in a peaceful little cove, oblivious to the bright sun and noises of the traffic on the other side of those trees. He was focused on one thing, and didn't seem to worry about the "what ifs" of life...he just went about doing his daily routine, seeking nourishment in the place where God had placed him. 

We also read from Habakkkuk 2:4 

"Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith."

I continued reading our devotions for the morning, and the next passage was from the Gospel of Matthew 17:14-21.  

And the response that Jesus gave His disciples when they asked way they could not cast out the demon from a young boy, Jesus said to them in verse 20:

"Because of your unbelief.

For assuredly, I say to you,

If you have faith as a mustard seed,

you will say to this mountain,

'Move from here to there,'  and it will move;

and nothing will be impossible for you."

And when you put all of this together, you have the following formula for peace of mind and courage for the future:

Release. Trust. Believe.

Nothing will be impossible for you.

I think I will sleep much better tonight. And I hope you will also find refuge and peace for your soul as you consider these words as well.

A daily meditation from Still Waters Pond.

"Move This Mountain!"

Matthew 17:20  "...I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

The other day I was writing about how God is a lot like Mt. Washington...always there, even when we can't see Him or feel His presence...He is always there...strong, dependable, powerful, and never failing.  Mt. Washington is a massive mountain in the White Mountain chain in New Hampshire...it is the 2nd highest mountain this side of the Mississippi River. I am not a geologist or scientist of any kind...so I can't really tell you too much about the molecular structure of this mountain or even how old it is...I don't think the scientists really know the answer to that either...but they have a lot of theories.  But I am certain they would find it laughable if I were to go up to Mt. Washington and command it to move from here to there. Without huge amounts of dynamite I don't think it would be a very reasonable request.

So why does Jesus tell us this story in the book of Matthew? He is telling His disciples that if they have faith even as small as the tiniest seed known...a mustard seed (see Matthew 13:31-32), they could say to this mountain, "Move from here to there...and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you!"  (Matthew 17:20) 

Is Jesus talking about a literal mountain...or is this figurative?  I tend to be a literal believer..."if God said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me!"  And yet, I've never tried to move any real mountains physically...or have I?  Well, maybe not in the real physical sense of moving rocks and earth...but I have literally seen God move what appeared to be insurmountable mountains in my life..."impossible"  health situations...(our son Matthew is a case in point...previous major mountain of brain tumor(s)...gone...)  Financial impossibilities...unemployment mountains, job changes that necessitated moves that seemed impossible...leaps of faith to study for the ministry with no "visible means of support"... miraculous provision of food, funds and help from people only God could have "moved" to come to our rescue in time. Serious family issues that seemed destined to destroy our home and ministry...and yet God moved mountains to reinforce our family and make it even stronger, and changed the focus of our ministry to open new windows we would have never considered before...

Yes, I do believe that God has literally moved mountains in my life...I don't know if my faith was even as big as a mustard seed, but God recognized that tiny tiny seed, and honored it...and moved those mountains.

Are there any mountains in your life today?  Do they seem insurmountable?  Have you committed these mountains to God?  That is exactly what we are asked to do...commit the mountain to Jesus...let Him take control...and then stand back and watch Him "MOVE THAT MOUNTAIN!"  

Dear God, There are still some mountains standing in front of me today...things that are impossible to move in my own strength.  Please take this tiny grain of faith that I have, and take control of these mountains.  I am thanking You in advance for what I know You are already doing...You are going to "move that mountain"... Thank you. In Jesus' precious Name I pray.  Amen.