Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 149 - Miracles and Moving Mountains Received this from a friend? Why not join Eternity Daily Bible Study? Go to https://www.aibi.ph/articles/eternity.htm to subscribe. The thirty-one studies on the Kingdom of Heaven have just been compiled into an ebook that can be downloaded (for free) from: http://www.aibi.ph/kingdom/ (Zechariah 4:6-10 NASB) Then he answered and said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. {7} 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'" {8} Also the word of the LORD came to me saying, {9} "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. {10} "For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. (Matthew 17:20 NASB) And He said^ to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. Zerubbabel had a really tough job. He was the governor of a bankrupt kingdom of Judah in the midst of a recession and was being asked by God to engage in a massive public works project - the building of the temple. Enthusiasm was not high until Haggai and Zechariah prophesied - in fact the land was blighted and under a curse for its apathy and selfishness (see Haggai 1). Now God was asking the impossible of him. In the midst of poverty, opposition, lethargy, local politics, imperial edicts and general desolation he was to build a glorious house for God. Zerubbabel needed a "mountain-moving miracle". The kind that come through faith. Jesus told His disciples that mountain-moving miracles can come to any born-again believer with "faith like a mustard seed" while Paul cautioned that mountain-moving faith needed to be in the context of love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). So mountain-moving miracles were around in New Testament times, and even in Old Testament times with Zerubbabel - who was just a politician not a prophet. Thus mountain-moving miracles can come to ordinary Christian folk engaged in the purposes of God. I was the prayer co-ordinator for a city-wide crusade that was beset with unbelief, apathy and lack of finances. The required budget was greater than the faith of most of the ministerial team. Then one minister read out Zechariah 4:7 about the mountain moving with shouts of "Grace, grace to it.." He was an infectious enthusiast and soon had the ministers shouting out loud "Grace, grace" to the budgetary problem and the apathy. As we began to believe the mountain began to move, the money problems were soon solved, the crusade was a success and four hundred people made decisions for Jesus! Since then when I come up to a particularly tough problem I open my Bible at Zechariah 4:7 and shout (literally) "Grace, grace to it, the mountain (name the problem) shall be removed". It is surprisingly effective! What is the faith "like a mustard-seed" that moves mountains. It is "seed-faith", faith that is living, growing and prepared to become huge faith! Its the seed of something big. Its the belief that starts the project, the trust that launches out, the "attempt great things for God" mentality that starts with almost nothing and achieves a sizeable contribution to the Kingdom. The mustard-seed wants to turn into a mustard tree - something big. Mustard seed faith wants to begin a big project from a small start. (See http://www.aibi.ph/kingdom/ for more on the Mustard Seed, link to article is on left hand side) Zerubbabel had a small start. So small was the mustard-seed that God actually had to say: "For who has despised the day of small things?". The small things would become big things and the temple would be the center of national life and eventually would receive the Messiah. But all Zerubbabel could see was the budget and the critics. But he took up the plumb-line and got building and God rejoiced to see the plumb-line in the hand of Zerubbabel. God rejoices when we believe Him enough to start His work! Well God supplied for Zeubbabel and the temple got built, and so did George Muller's orphanages, and so have countless Christian colleges and missionary enterprises. Mountain-moving miracles are happening all around you and I as people plant their mustard-seeds of dogged faith and begin the work that God has called them to. Like any miracles mountain-moving miracles have to be aligned with the plans and purposes of God - not just our own ambitions. We have to be able to speak God's word into the situation "Say to this mountain.." . We have to have the calling of God and the anointing of the Spirit that come with total identification with the plans, purposes and heart of God. But given that, be bold! Go stand before your mountain and shout "Grace, grace to it" Blessings in Him, John Edmiston Asian Internet Bible Institute http://www.aibi.ph/ Free Online Bible And Ministry Training Try our free ebooks on prayer: http://www.aibi.ph/ebooks/ Visit the Eternity home page at: http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ This devotional may be freely forwarded to others and used for non-profit ministry purposes as long as the following copyright notice is included. © Copyright John Edmiston 2003