“Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer’ ” (Matthew 21:21-22).
Jesus didn’t mean that we were to stand at the base of the Rockies and make them disappear as a proof of our faith. A mountain was how the Old Testament described a great difficulty which cannot be handled by human ability. An example of that was when the Jewish remnant returned to Jerusalem after their captivity in Babylon. One of their major challenges was the rebuilding of the Temple that had been destroyed.
Zechariah described the difficulty as a mountain. “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground” (Zechariah 4:7). The solution then was the same as the solution we still need. “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6).
Human might and power are not enough when we’re facing mountains. Refusing to doubt means that we don’t waver in indecision between God and our own resources (“It can be done—it can’t be done”). The problem with doubt is that it questions God’s ability. Faith reaches out and lays hold of God’s infinite power.
When faced with challenges that are beyond our abilities we simply trust that God has the power to do what He has promised. Faith is placing our confidence in a God who never fails. That worked in Zechariah’s life—the mountain became level ground and the Temple was completed. It will work in our lives as well.
