Matthew 17:20b-21
"I tell
you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible
for you."
NIV
This summer we had the opportunity to purchase 14
round bales of hay, fodder enough for our livestock for the next two years. The
deal was not only financially appealing, but when delivery was thrown in, it
became irresistible. The only catch was that each bale weighed in at just under
a thousand pounds. The farmer from whom we had made the purchase insisted that
we would need a small tractor or forklift to move the bales away from the truck
when he delivered them.
We don't have either of these we responded, we just
have ourselves. That won't be enough he insisted, you must have a tractor or
forklift or at least several other people to help you move these bales. Well, a
tractor or a forklift didn't materialize and neither did any other people, as
the bales arrived on an unexpected day at an unexpected time and everyone we
called upon was away, everyone that is but the one most important person of all,
the Holy Spirit.
Thus as the farmer and his big burly helper rolled the
bales from his trailer, my daughter and I, with a total weight of 280 pounds
between us successfully rolled each bale away from the trailer to the designated
area we had prepared. How did we do this you ask? We worked together, by faith
with the Holy Spirit, that's how we did it and bale by bale that 14,000 pound
mountain of hay rolled away. This was not a magical happening, but in many ways
it was a miraculous one; the type of miracle that all Christians can experience
when they work together with one another through God's Spirit. From the time we
ordered the bales until the time they came we prayed for strength and guidance
to know how to move them safely. Therefore as each bale bounced from the
trailer, Mary and I worked together, not against one another. We used our
combined experience, strength and the power of faith and leverage to accomplish
a task which the farmer believed to be impossible.
Likewise when God's church chooses to pray for
strength and guidance and then commits to working together with one another,
through faith and the power of His Holy Spirit there is absolutely nothing which
God cannot accomplish through them, absolutely no mountain which cannot be
moved.
Prayer: Father God thank you for the joy of working
together with our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the presence of your
Holy Spirit in our lives who is ever seeking to teach us, guide us and remind us
of all that Jesus has taught us. Bless us this day, your Church, with humble,
prayerful spirits that are open to Holy Spirit presence and the miracles of
faith that move mountains looming upon the horizon. In Christ's name we pray.
Amen.
Lynne Phipps
lynnephipps@hotmail.com
Atlin, B.C.
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