Are you facing a mountain?

https://youtu.be/b-24kkrKp1Y  Gaither Vocal Band

(Some of you don’t watch or listen to the videos so I have printed the words to the chorus of the song.)  We all at times face the troubled sea.  God is still there!

(chorus) Sometimes it takes a mountain
Sometimes a troubled sea
Sometimes it takes a desert
To get a hold of me
Your Love is so much stronger
Then whatever troubles me
Sometimes it takes a mountain
To trust you and believe (metrolyrics.com)

Sometimes it takes a mountain to get a hold of me.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye may have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, but take courage — I have overcome the world.”

Today, as I listened to this song, I was moved to think how many friends, neighbors and family members are facing what seems to be mountains of impossibilities.

“In this world we will have tribulation!” Jesus said, “In me you may have peace!” ( John 16:33) The two things seem opposites to me at face value. Peace? Tribulation?

“Take courage-I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33b) How can these be possible?

Sometimes it takes a mountain.   Sometimes it takes a desert to get a hold of me.

Jeremiah 29:12-14 New King James Version (NKJV)

12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Matthew 19:26 New King James Version (NKJV)

26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

As I write this, I received word of a family facing one of those mountains. In my prayer for them, I remember that sometimes what happens to us God uses to draw others to Himself. This might be the hardest of our trials! How we respond might affect someone else’s ability to see God as loving, just and all knowing. When we are broken, it’s really hard to see that mountain as a gift. We forget that our lives connects with others who may not know our Savior. In our pain, we cannot see that others might be watching how we handle the situation.

Our only hope is in the knowledge that God holds every breath. He will sustain us when we feel we can’t breathe another breath from our pain.

Psalm 61:1-3
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. (NASB)

In this video, Dr. Tony Evans talks about losing a family member. They are sharing about how a Christian handles lost and grief. It is a wonderful testimony to their faith and love of God.

If you are going through some trial that seems bigger than you can handle.  Cry out to God.  Talk to someone who can walk through this with you.  Know that God is there.  Trust Him and believe.

Ephesians 6:18 “In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”  (The Message)