Why can't my faith move a mountain?

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Faith, as we know, can move mountains. So why is it that we believers often don't feel like winners? Why does it seem that we can rarely make a difference? Why does our faith often appear so weak?

Since the Fall, every Christian has been engaged in a battle against evil. The adversary sets the whole world in motion to attack us. The Apostle John leaves us a word of comfort: “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4) .

An empty phrase?

Jesus once asked the following question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he also find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). Among Christians, there has probably never been as much discussion about faith as in our time. A wide variety of ideas circulate about what faith is. The world equates faith with naivety: supposedly, a person clings stubbornly to their own beliefs without any knowledge. In Christian circles, faith is often primarily responsible for the supernatural and for “getting ahead” in life. It is defined roughly as follows: You just have to know what you want; you have to want it strongly; you have to be very convinced of it and express it with great conviction. Then you will get what you want!

Most of us would never agree with this formulation. Yet the way we talk about faith often goes in this direction. When we say, "You just have to believe strongly" or "God wants to give it to you, just believe more strongly"—doesn't that have the character of self-persuasion or reassurance? We cling to our goals with all our might. Then we are all the more disappointed when the hoped-for result doesn't materialize. Then we immediately question our entire faith journey. Or we simply claim that we believed "too strongly." But is that really what the Bible envisions faith to be?

Faith has a different purpose.

First, the Bible clearly shows us that faith pursues a completely different purpose: Biblical faith does not seek to change our circumstances, but ourselves! We see this clearly in Jesus' conversation with the Jews when He said to them, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek glory from the only God?" (John 5:44) . They pursued their own selfish goals instead of seeking fulfillment in doing God's will. With such a life orientation, one cannot believe. It contradicts what faith stands for!

When Jesus speaks in the Sermon on the Mount about everyday worries and the resulting lack of faith, He shows what direction a believer should have: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Accordingly, faith does not seek earthly well-being, but the kingdom of God, which “is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). We often quote Luke 17:6 about the faith that can throw the sycamore tree into the sea. Too often we overlook the fact that the disciples asked the Lord for more faith there precisely because He spoke of forgiveness! That, then, is the purpose for which we need faith.

Faith is not a method for achieving personal goals, but rather it is meant to transform our hearts so that we bear spiritual fruit. That is the kind of overcoming that is what it's about!

We cannot "lose our belief".

Furthermore, the Bible shows us that we cannot bring about faith ourselves. When Peter confesses, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Jesus answers him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:16-17). To the Jews, Jesus speaks unequivocally: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” (John 6:44). For Paul, too, the matter was clear: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8) .

Faith is a response to God speaking into our lives. We see this in God's dealings with Abraham. God called him, began His work with him, and only then does it say: "And [Abram] believed the Lord" (Genesis 15:6). "Therefore, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God" (Romans 10:17) . We cannot produce faith on our own. All exhortations to finally believe are a wasted effort. Faith doesn't happen by chance, but always needs a foundation! This foundation is God's speaking, especially through His Word.

The only thing we can do regarding faith itself is to reject it! We can reject God's word and refuse to believe (cf. Heb 3:18). Or we can do as Abraham and Sarah did. "He did not waver from his unbelief regarding God's promise, but was strengthened by faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that he was able to do what he had promised" (Rom 4:20-21). "By faith Sarah herself was able to conceive and gave birth, although she was past the age, because she considered him faithful who had promised" (Heb 11:11). Both honored God by considering him faithful. They did not suspect God of unreliability or even of deception. They trusted that he would keep his word.

Why God sets mountains

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that Jesus assures us we can throw mountains into the sea through faith (cf. Mt 21:21). Of course, biblical faith is primarily saving faith, meant to transform our own hearts. But doesn't the Lord show us that through faith we can set the world around us in motion?

Let's pause for a moment: How many mountains did Jesus "sink" into the sea? It's not as if the Creator of the entire world didn't consider where He placed each mountain. Therefore, Jesus' call cannot be an invitation to thoughtlessly "meddle" with God's creation. Certainly, Jesus was speaking metaphorically. If the mountain is a symbol for our unwillingness to forgive and our carnal mindset, then faith in God is naturally the right means to "sink" this mountain. But what about our personal "mountains" of worries and suffering? Why are these "mountains" where they are? Do we simply have to "throw them all into the sea" in faith, or is God's hand behind many of these mountains?

God doesn't answer many of our prayers because He loves us! He uses our circumstances as a means of grace to draw closer to His true goal: He desires the transformation of our hearts. Some of our struggles against the mountain are not in accordance with His will because we are pursuing our own goals—sometimes unconsciously. If He were to answer such a prayer, He would only encourage our unbelief! That's why not every mountain we "target" moves.

Prayer also has another purpose.

Generally speaking, prayer isn't about trying to change God's mind. God already knows in advance what we need, and He isn't stingy. So why does He want us to pour out our hearts to Him? We all know this from our own children: there's someone sitting there, visibly offended and looking sad, but silent. Once you get the child talking, all the floodgates open, and all the suffering and sorrow come to the surface.

Unfortunately, we adults are often no different: We carry our problems and worries around with us and internalize them. Only when we come before God and honestly describe our difficulties to Him do we realize how much bitterness, resentment, and ingratitude about this situation still lingered within us! He knew this beforehand and was waiting for us to lay it all at His feet! That is why Jesus urges us to ask, to seek, and to knock persistently (cf. Luke 11:5-13).

Prayer doesn't persuade God, but it makes us aware of our dependence on Him, frees us from our burdens, and strengthens our faith! Prayer changes people. Through people, God then works in the world.

When the mountain gives way

Often, we ourselves stand in the way of the mountain. God takes no pleasure in keeping us confined to narrow circumstances. He pursues His specific goal with us: every mountain He places before us is meant to serve our good (cf. Romans 8:28). Every mountain is there so that we may grow in faith. Faith changes our perspective: no longer is the difficult situation our primary concern, but rather the state of our hearts!

Sometimes God waits for precisely this shift in perspective before He delivers us from a difficult situation. Through the "mountain," He shapes and works on our hearts. Sometimes we are so stubborn that God—as a patient Father—seems to "give in" and delivers us from our predicament, only to repeat the same lesson with us at a later time.

Some of our “mountains” are of our own making. Much suffering in our lives arises from having the wrong relationship with our circumstances. Instead of thanking God for the good things and obediently accepting the situation as a gift from His hand, we are sometimes impatient, ungrateful, and rebellious. As soon as we humble ourselves under His mighty hand, we can firmly resist the enemy in faith (cf. 1 Peter 5:6-9). Then we no longer dictate a timetable to God, but, like Abraham, patiently accept everything: “And because he waited patiently in this way, he obtained what was promised” (Hebrews 6:15) .

Jesus said that God will quickly bring about justice for His chosen ones, even if He makes them wait at first (cf. Luke 18:7-8). This shows that the solution is already ready for implementation, but God is waiting for certain events to occur within us. As soon as God has brought about the desired change in us, the mountain will move! Perhaps nothing at all will change in the external circumstances—but our mountain will be gone!

Where do our doubts come from?

In His discourse on the mountain, Jesus emphasized: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt” (Matthew 21:21). Where does doubt come from? Jesus spoke of worry as an expression of little faith or doubt, a result of false goals: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them” (Matthew 6:31-32). The example of Peter, who began to doubt when he looked at the waves instead of the source of his faith, is also well-known.

Although Jesus had announced his resurrection beforehand, his disciples had great difficulty accepting it in faith. Surely, at the very latest when the women told them about it, it should have dawned on them that Jesus had foretold all of this. Why didn't they accept it? The disciples on the road to Emmaus summed up the reason well: "But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21). Right up to the end, the disciples had quite specific ideas about how Jesus was going to redeem his people. The problem was: these ideas didn't align with God's plan. And when God's plan came to pass, they doubted.

It is not without reason that Jesus speaks of faith as a mustard seed. The mustard seed must first die before it bears fruit and grows into a large tree. Our own ego must die. We must be willing to let go and trust God. We must surrender control over ourselves and events to Him. Of course, this is often not easy for us. The mental chatter simply won't stop. Our minds are constantly trying to find a solution. It is precisely in this situation that prayer is called for.

One mustard seed is enough

By comparing faith to a mustard seed (cf. Mt 17:20), Jesus shows once again what faith is all about: It's not the size, strength, or effort of my faith that matters, but whom I believe in! We see this principle in children: As soon as they are able to express their needs, they can "move mountains." Whatever the child's request, they naturally go to their parents. They don't doubt whether their parents can actually fulfill it. The child simply doesn't think about such "technical" aspects. They can hardly accomplish anything themselves. But in their eyes, Mom or Dad can do anything, even move mountains. This is precisely the kind of childlike trust the Lord expects from us.

We see the doubts of various heroes of faith, such as Gideon. But nowhere did God rebuke him for this doubt. Why? Because Gideon was not disobedient, but followed God's voice. He was already gathering the army despite all his doubts. But he didn't keep his doubts to himself. He didn't argue with his "mountain," but discussed everything with God. In this way, the small seed of his faith could grow. In the end, Gideon didn't boast about the strength of his faith, but marveled at God's work!

In God's name

In John 15:16, Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” Many Christians refer to this passage and put it to the test: They pray in Jesus’ name to achieve a desired goal. Unfortunately, we often resemble small children who want to lend more weight to their demands on their siblings by adding, “Mom/Daddy said so!” Likewise, we try to achieve something with God’s power and in His name, overlooking the fact that these are our own goals! We tend to want to persuade our “mountain” to move and “threaten” it with God’s greatness. But aren’t our intentions then similar to those of the pagans? They want to achieve their own goals by trying to influence higher powers through occult methods.

Biblical faith leads us to the opposite conclusion: We consciously place ourselves under God's influence. In business, when someone is granted authority, this is always done with the trust that the authorized representative will act in the interest and spirit of the person granting the authority. This is precisely what Jesus means when He promises that we will be heard by the Father in His name. It is not without reason that He first mentions election and bearing fruit: His ultimate goal for us. He demonstrated to us in Gethsemane what praying in the Father's name means: "Yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). In practice, praying in Jesus' or God's name means, above all, first and foremost, seeking and discerning God's will.

Faith is a relationship, not a method.

We shouldn't "use" God as a method. We shouldn't simply want His gifts from Him. It's about fellowship with Him, interest in Him, and love for Him! When someone tells me they prayed to God but it didn't help, I'm puzzled. What does "it" mean here? Is God incapable of helping? Or is He not kind? It sounds like someone spoke to God with the intention of simply having God do what they asked, without listening to what God has to say about the whole matter.

When a child has become accustomed to being able to move mountains with their parents' help, they will eventually experience that Mom or Dad can also say "no" or "wait." This is normal; parents are not a method, but people. They have a will and can make their own decisions.

It is no different with our God. Our faith is a relationship we build with Him. Like the great tree that grows from a mustard seed, this relationship must grow and be nurtured. Both the Hebrew root word for faith, aman (cf. "Amen"), and the Greek pistis can be translated not only as "faith" but also as "faithfulness." It is one and the same word. It helps to always keep this in mind and let it resonate when we read about faith in Scripture. Therefore, faith is not dependent on feelings but has to do with faithfulness and perseverance.

Before Jesus spoke to his disciples about throwing the mountain into the sea, he said, “Have faith in God!” (Mark 11:22). He concluded his instructions for “moving” the mountains with the exhortation to forgive. Jesus wants us to seek close fellowship with him and become like him! Like a true vine, we should draw all the nourishment of our lives solely from Christ and systematically wither and dry up all other sources. When not gifts, but the person of Christ is our true joy, we will no longer have any interest in sin. That is true faith, which overcomes the world! And God will take care of the mountains.

 

John Nazarov
Lappenstuhl Municipality