How Do You Move A Mountain When You Feel Yourself Drifting Away?
Good Morning Friends,
Sometimes the events of life seem overwhelming and more challenging than we can stand. We feel like a feather trapped between a rock and a hard place about to go over the falls. We desire to be in control but instead feel disempowered. The disciples felt this challenge in healing others after the experience of the Transfiguration. So, How Do You Move A Mountain When You Feel Yourself Drifting Away?
Scripture: like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.” But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will.
Hebrews 1:12-2:4 (NRSV)
When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of 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.”
Matthew 17:14-20 (NRSV)
Message: Well, the easy answer to today’s question is one stone at a time over a very long time. But I think Jesus may have had something more in mind outside of time and still in the moment. For I think Jesus is talking about the mountains and valleys of life and the force of the Spirit moving between the two in today’s Gospel reading. Now let’s get this straight from the beginning, the passage about mountains moving is not to be taken literally, for if it was, such impulsive moving of land would be chaos. But there is a connection between the images of the natural world and message Jesus desires for us to hear regarding faith and I do not want you to miss this. You see the mountains of faith can be hard to move in the same way a rock mountain is hard to move. So, in my reading of this Gospel passage I think about the force of water and time…the power of the Spirit over time that creates changes within our emotional ups and downs. Friends, drifting away from the faith is a real danger. Now I do not know what comes to your mind when you hear the word “drift.” Maybe you may think about snowdrifts. You might think about racecars intentionally skidding to navigate a tight turn, and if you are you are a sailor you might be thinking about the effect the wind direction has on your intended heading. And for some of you who listened to music in the 1970’s you might be thinking about that line: “Give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna’ get lost in your rock and roll and drift away”. The word drift can mean many things both positive and negative. But there is a kind of drifting that is dangerous referenced in today’s scripture. There are all kinds of warning signs for us to not wade into the currents of a mountain cascade. We are not to get too close to the falls. That is the dangerous kind of spiritual drifting that this passage addresses. Friends, people can drift away from a place of great joy, peace, and service for the Lord. We all know people who at one time were faithful servants of the Lord who have just drifted away from the Lord. You may be drifting right now. Drifting is something that happens slowly and gradually and is not a good thing at all. Look out for the danger signs so you can channel the power of the Spirit through acts of faith to move mountains. Do not drift off to sleep. Wake up!
Pray we keep our eyes on Jesus. Pray we not stop paying attention to the movement of the Spirit.
Pray we not drift away from the will of God. Pray we realize that Jesus is greater than mountains and mustard seeds. Pray we realize that faith is a gift we are to nurture over time. Pray we have Jesus as an anchor for our souls. Pray we be concerned, if we are listening to God’s Word but our life does not change. Pray we be concerned when apathy replaces the desire to gather with other believers. Pray we recognize the warning signs of complacency replacing our desire to confess our sins to God. Pray we never forget that ending well is more important than having a good start.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 