The Mountain of Unbelief by Ellen Dass
October 1, 2011
Warning! Parable enclosed!
Our Lord Jesus spoke his messages in parables so that his audience could understand the lessons. Unfortunately, his disciples were always confused and asked him to clarify the message as it pertained to them. He always rebuked them for being ignorant or unbelieving. Today, I present a parable, but instead of being in the third person it is in first person. It is intended for you to recognize yourself and the weakness in which you walk.
Psalm 116:1-2 perfectly covers what we need to remember in our daily lives: “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.” We don’t come to the Lord on our knees and accept him as our Savior because he ignores us. We come because we recognize we have a God-sized hole in our lives.
We believe we are saved. We hang onto our faith, but sometimes in our walk we are bombarded by disbelief and questions. There are two ways we can go with it. We can be like the apostles in Luke 17:5, “and the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith,” or we can lose our faith and return from whence we came, into the darkness.
The Mountain of Unbelief
Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! John 8:43-45 NLT
It spans the horizon from left to right. It towers so high it covers the sun and moon. The surface: craggy and pitted with sharp precipices and sharper ravines. The surface rocks can pierce the flesh, shred clothes, and puncture the toughest climbing boots. The insurmountable mountain; woe is me to be blocked by disbelief.
For we walk by faith, not by sight. /em> 2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
I moan and bewail my tragedy; a still small voice speaks. As I am crying louder, pleading, begging; again it speaks. Raising the volume on my pity party I nearly screech out my prayer. “Mercy! Mercy! Lo, I have erred! Behold this impassable mountain of disbelief! I fear! I struggle! Lord! I hear not your voice! What sin have I committed to blot you from my senses?!?!”
In the midst of voluminous sobbing, again speaks the still small voice: “Arise my child, for I am with you.”
Again, I gnash my teeth. “Lord! You have forsaken me at the foot of this mountain! I have prostrated myself for your sake! Free me from this bondage!”
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”1 Kings 19:11-13
Again speaks the still small voice. “Arise my child, for I am with you.”
Peering at the mountain, fear sets back in. “Lo, my Lord. Have you not seen this mountain at which you have forsaken me?! How do you say to me: arise? Have you not noticed the path I walked alone, that caused me to stumble and fall here Lord? Woe is me! Woe! It is thy will Lord that caused me to be stranded here. Thy will, Lord, not mine.”
“Arise.”
“Thy will Lord, thy will…but, my strength. I cannot rise my Lord. I am struck! You have cursed me!”
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understandingProverbs 3:5
“Arise, for I am with you. My father sent me as a sacrifice for you and I obeyed. You too, shall obey, not by the flesh, but by the Spirit. ARISE!”
“Yes… my Lord.”
Arising with eyes closed in fear, dusting off tender bleeding flesh pricked by the stones. Reluctantly my eyes are opened. No longer is the horizon engulfed by the mountain. To the left I see plains, forests, rivers, and oceans. To the right, the same. Looking up I see the heavens, the stars, clouds, sun, and the moon. Looking down, a mere anthill at my feet.
I stand, bewildered yet relieved, unable to believe my eyes. What happened to that insurmountable mountain, of which a mere touch would render wounds? What happened to that fear that paralyzed me? The weight upon my flesh was lifted as a sense of freedom began to overtake me.
“As you stumbled over the obstacle placed by the Father of Lies, your eyes were clouded. Your perception became skewed. All you could see was the end of your nose as you lay prostrate, too fearful to trust me. That anthill is your mountain. Each lie whispered in your ear, you accepted as truth and your mountain grew. With each blink of your eyes you became blind to me. It was not I that blotted my presence from your senses.”
How often have we blamed God for our unwillingness to be open to Him and to obey Him? I know for me it is far too often. I frequently allow myself to fall victim to the temptation to be powered by “Power of ME,” not “Power of HE.” Occasionally, God the Father is kind enough to remind me. Other times he lets me stick my fingers into the electrical socket. When we wake, let us remember Ephesians 6:10-18:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Also, if you’re musically inclined, I highly recommend searching out Chris Tomlin’s Come Home Running. But take the time to step over that anthill.
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