We often hear about having enough faith to move mountains. But as I listened to a song on the radio today, I gained a different perspective on the subject. Generally, we think of the relocation as a sudden, earth-shattering event, but the song gives another look.
Christ tells us in Matthew 21:21 that “If ye have faith and doubt not…if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” The image this creates is of the mountain crumbling into the sea by its own accord, or by the power of God. This is, of course, an accurate portrayal of the power of the priesthood, but it is not the only way to move mountains in faith.
According to the song, “If You Have Love” by John Michael Montgomery:
“If you have love you can move a mountain
A little bit further down the line
You can do it all at once, or one rock at a time.”
Now, substitute “faith” for “love” as you read through and it can really make you nod.
The last line is what stuck out in my mind. Sometimes, there are tasks that are accomplished quickly. Quite often, however, the tasks take more time and effort. In those cases, we truly are acting in faith, with the belief that we will be able to rebuild the mountain.
Of course, we could literally use our faith to disassemble and reassemble a mountain, but I can’t recall an instance in scripture when the Lord commands us to do so (can you imagine Him asking the Saints to restructure the mountains surrounding the Salt Lake Valley?) Instead, the tasks He requires of us are often minute, and the effects are sometimes hard to see. After all, when you pick up one rock from a mountain and carry it whatever distance away to stack it on top of another pile, you don’t see an immediate result. Some of those tasks might include scripture study, family prayer, taking small children to church, home or visiting teaching, or serving a mission and baptizing no one. In the midst of these things, we may not see an immediate result, although sometimes we are blessed to. There are days when we might wonder why we both bringing three or four young ones to church when no one hears the talks in sacrament. But slowly, very slowly, we are building up our faith and the faith of our families.
And one day, that range of mountains will touch the sky, even Heavenly Father.
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