“Moving mountains” is, and has been, a popular phrase even in Biblical times. When Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, they would have found them familiar yet put in a new perspective. Today the same sort of cultural familiarity exists; Dr. Seuss uses it in “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” Usher used it as a song title, and schools around the nation have included the phrase in their mission or even as their names.

The phrase is just as popular with believers, as it should be, given that it’s found in the Bible. In Mark 11 we read that moving mountains is possible with faith in God, prayer, and expectation. However, we have managed, per usual it seems, to turn the meaning of these verses into something it is not. Dr. Warren Weirsbe eloquently asserts that this Scripture should NOT be interpreted as ‘If you pray hard enough and really believe, God is obligated to answer your prayer no matter what you ask.’ That kind of faith is not faith in God; rather it is nothing but faith in faith, or faith in feelings.”

Jesus’ illustration had a lot less to do with natural impediments and much more to do with spiritual roadblocks that are hindrances to the Kingdom of God. Some go even further to argue that it has nothing to do with personal obstacles, but rather the ineffective prayers of the temple, which would soon be destroyed. That’s a discussion for another time and place.

So, what does this mean for us? Well, let’s just be honest - sometimes we're speaking to the wrong mountains. It could be that the wrong mountain is the object of our focus and even our prayers. Maybe it’s time we really go deeper by first, identifying the will of God in our lives, and second, gaining wisdom on what changes need to be made in order for His will to take priority. That means that we must strategically choose our mountains from this year forward.

We often choose our most chronic and obvious issues to focus on when it comes to prayer and standing in belief. For those of us who have chronic illnesses, we’ve been shouting at that mountain longer than we’ve liked. Some may be feeling the burden of constant financial pressure or the impending collapse of relationships after praying unceasingly for restoration. Others may be tired of never seeming to catch a break despite your persistent faith.

I’m not saying that faith is not to be utilized in those areas, nor is persistent prayer fruitless. Belief in miracles is necessary and often involves long waits. But when mountains don’t move, it is often a sign that we need to reevaluate how we are looking at the situation(s). God's purpose supersedes all of our own desires. Sometimes mountains do not move because God does not want them to move. It’s possible that He's trying to point us to other mountains that we are either unaware of or avoiding.

Maybe the mountain you ought to place your belief on moving is not illness but rather the mountain containing the root of why you cannot find peace and contentment in all circumstances. Perhaps there’s a mountain representing your constant need for control that deserves your prayer and attention more than the mountains representing failing relationships. Have you considered speaking with faith to the mountain of low self-esteem and lack of self-worth rather than the mountain of dissatisfaction with life?

Sometimes, our mountains are built upon one another. In such cases, when we focus on only one mountain, we ignore the bigger picture of massive land formations that join together to control our lives. For instance, moving a large mountain of bitterness and anger is sure to create a domino effect of the smaller mountains that have arisen out of our damaging behaviors. Mountains that were formed out of trauma and pain must be removed, otherwise we will spend our lives casting mountain after mountain into the sea with no reprieve.

There may be mountains of religion, tradition, and societal pressures that need to go. Of course, mountains of temptation and sins must be of priority. And then, a mountain that I am deeply familiar with, is the mountain including whatever may be holding us back from surrendering everything to God. What if, instead of focusing all of our energy and prayers on matters of the world, we poured it all out with our largest dose of faith at the mountain that stood in the way of God using us completely?

Of course, maybe the mountains we really need to speak to are ourselves. Maybe our persistent prayers and established beliefs ought to be that WE get out of the way of God, and let go of every ideal we've had in order to live by His will alone.