More on the Mountains We Face

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. Ecclesiastes 7:4

… though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered … Hebrews 5:8

Mountains in our lives come in all sizes and shapes … and they’re allowed for lots of reasons, many of which we’ll never know until we see God face to face in eternity.

Sometimes, in the work God’s given us to do, we face mountains … mountains of unbelief or fear in a person’s life that we’re praying for which would keep him or her from coming to faith in Christ. Sometimes there will seem to be one hindrance after another as we seek to fulfill a task we’ve been given … maybe it’s equipment failure in spite of the fact that the equipment has been well maintained and there should be no problem with it … or repeated sicknesses, dead ends, conflicts, problems, difficulties or demonic attacks of one kind or another – brush fires, as it were, to keep us from focusing on the main task and completing it.

In these cases, it could be Satan trying to hinder us from the work God would have us do. Or it could be that God has allowed us to face the mountain – and, in fact, may have even led us on the path to it – for a variety of reasons. He may want to grow our faith deeper in Him, teach us more about His character, prayer, fasting and waiting on Him to do what we can’t. He may want to mature us spiritually as His soldiers and joint heirs in Christ.

We often learn more about Him, ourselves and life and gain an appreciation for who He is, what we’ve been given and what really matters in life, only through suffering and trial and by experiencing that His grace is sufficient for us until and if He decides to move to bring relief. Whatever the reason, the fact is that God has allowed the mountain (or it wouldn’t be there), and as we draw closer to Him, put our focus on Him, seek Him and not just relief, we are changed and transformed, in thought, attitude and action. We become overcomers … by His power … and we see mountains disappear. The presence of those mountains produces greatness in us by His power and Spirit, and the mountains no longer hinder … they impel forward. We surmount them or find that God has brought them low and brought the low place where we were up to the level of the mountain we thought we were facing.

Maybe we’re facing mountains of grief, despair, depression or hopelessness through horrific circumstances that have been brought against us through no fault of our own … loss of loved ones, loss of property, financial or physical security, loss of health, loss of freedom, abuses or oppression.

We may want and need these mountains to disappear immediately, but they may not. They may make us feel like the Israelites felt as slaves of the Egyptians for 400 years. But, we can know, that even though it may appear God isn’t at work or that He is slow in answering, He really is at work; He’s not slow; and He knows and sees our plight and never leaves, forsakes or abandons us in our extremities.

Scripture tells us that God is utterly faithful … that He can’t be unfaithful, because it’s simply not in His nature (2 Timothy 2:19). Scripture also tells us that while it seems to us God is slow to work , that He’s really not because He works outside of time – there is no time in eternity – and to Him, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day. And there is an appointed time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:17). He’s there, a very real and near presence. He’s at work, and there will be a day when justice and righteousness prevail in all times, all circumstances and against all perpetrators of evil (Nahum 1:3). He’s at work, and there will be deliverance. He’s at work, and His grace is sufficient. He’s at work, and He has overcome evil, even though it may cause us trouble in this world.

Maybe we’re facing mountains of bitterness, woundedness, hurt or unforgiveness due to wrongs done to us or mountains of some other spiritual, mental, emotional or physical type. God has to lead us to the foot of those mountains to show us they exist in our lives and to give us motivation to want them removed, so we can be whole, well and healthy. As we surrender those things to Him, ask forgiveness for them, obey Him and take back the ground in our lives that those have occupied and give it back to Christ as Lord of our lives, He removes those mountains and casts them into the sea. Then, we need to fill our lives with those things God wants us to have in place of those – forgiveness, love, unity, thanksgiving and grace.

Maybe we’re facing mountains brought on by our own sin, disobedience, irresponsibility or poor stewardship … mountains of our own making. Maybe we’re mired in mountains of addiction or debt. Maybe we’re facing mountains of consequences and broken relationships from poor or irresponsible choices and decisions. God may allow us to face those consequences to make us sick of them and of the choices we’ve made. He often allows us to discover what lies in our own hearts that way … the lusts that drive us on … the things we’re really enslaved to. But, even with these mountains, He leads us through. He takes our hand and doesn’t let go. He makes us way for us as we turn from the old ways and allow Him to reshape, remold, remake us into new people who walk in freedom with Him.

So, whatever the mountain in your path, don’t let it destroy you, don’t let it beat you down or deceive you into thinking there’s no way out. Don’t waste it either. Allow it to drive you into God. Ask Him to speak to your heart about it. Ask Him to use it in your life for His purposes and then remove it to His glory. Ask Him to make you wise, strong, more dependent on Him, more like Him, victorious and an overcomer, because you’ve had to face it. Hebrews 5:8 tells us Jesus was made perfect because of the things He suffered. God is no less faithful in your life to use mountains He allows to perfect and complete you into all He created you to be.

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