Talking To Mountains About Your God

"There comes a moment when you must quit talking to God about the mountain in your life and start talking to the mountain about your God. You proclaim His power. You declare His sovereignty. You affirm His faithfulness. You stand on His Word. You cling to His promises." - Mark Batterson 

I am fascinated by mountains. I find them impressive and beautiful. They stand strong, unmovable and imposing. Often when I see mountains, I wish I could be standing on one of its summits, and then walk down the mountain. I'd love to claim that I am an avid hiker. But the reality is that I love the idea, but lack the will to actually hike. I do a decent amount of walking though!  In the summer of last year, Linda and I went to Jungfraujoch in Switzerland, the highest railway station in Europe at 3474m, 11,397ft. It was strikingly beautiful. You can't but marvel at the awesome power of God who made it. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is worth a visit. Mountains are just majestic and beautiful.

But mountains can be obstacles too. With modern technology and engineering, we often have to go through or around mountains to create roads, railways and build houses. In the Bible, mountains are sometimes used figuratively to describe opposition, problems, difficulties or challenges. Teaching His disciples about faith, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." (Mark 11:23, NIV). Here, Jesus encourages us to pray in faith and speak against the problems and challenges we face. We have seen God heal the sick, mend hearts and save souls through effective and fervent prayers of faith. We pray for more.

We must all grow in faith to pray and speak in faith to 'mountains' of sickness, addictive habits and sins that so easily beset. And I pray we get better at that this year and the years to come. Now, there is another dimension of faith that leads us to talk to 'mountains' in our lives about our God. That's what Batterson was talking about in the quote above. This is what I call an 'hallowed be your name' moment. A moment when instead of focusing on the mountain of pain and disappointment, you choose to focus on the awesomeness of your God. Instead of being overwhelmed by the troubles that seem unmovable like a mountain, you choose instead to see the I AM WHO I AM - YAHWEH! 

It's the moment after the Israelites crossed the Red sea safely and the army of Pharaoh sank like lead in the middle of the same sea. That moment led Israel to sing spontaneously. In their song, they spoke of what their God (YAHWEH) has done... "both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea...the deep waters have covered them...  they sank like lead. By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea." (Exodus 15)

They did not stop at what God has done. They continued to sing about what He will do in the future. "The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as stone - until your people pass by, LORD!" And it happened just as they declared in their song, many years after.

There is a depth of knowledge and confidence in God that makes you sing at your troubles. The kind that Paul and Silas had, that made them pray and sing hymns to God in a prison cell until "a violent earthquake broke their chains and opened the prison doors." (Acts 16:16-40). Such moments of faith and confidence in God made Israel obey God. They marched round Jericho for six days, and on the seventh day marched round the city seven times, with trumpets and a loud shout. The walls of Jericho fell down flat. They talked to the wall of Jericho about their God, and a city once fortified fell wide open for plunder.

One reason why we fear in the face of adversity is that we have not seen or known our God enough. Elisha was able to say to his servant who was terrified of the Aramean army that surrounded them... "Don't be afraid...Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (2 Kings 6:15-17, NIV). The Psalmist said, "When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The LORD is with me, he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies." (Psalm 118:5-7, NIV). 

This year, we must learn to talk to God about the mountains in our lives. And I pray that we will have many moments when we are so full of faith that we start taking to mountains about our God. A point when we submit to his sovereign will and power. Though the mountain may be overwhelming, unmovable and imposing, you choose to put your faith in His faithfulness and sing. Sing in the face of challenges, sing of His power and His might, and receive strength to hold on to His promises. His promises are yes and amen! They always come true.