Can Mountains Really Be Moved?

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Mark 11:22-26

For nearly 30 years I've wrestled with this Scripture.  I came across it as a child.  I prayed that God would take away my disability; fully expecting and believing that He would.  He did not.

I'm not sure what the meaning of these verses is.  My own experience and the experiences of every human being I know of indicate that this passage is not literally true.  All the same, I believe that prayer is effective.  In 2006 when I was comatose, all of the doctors expected that I would not survive.  Given my condition, there is no way I should have recovered from the severe pneumonia I had.  And yet I did recover, quickly.  In a 24-hour period, I went from barely conscious critical condition to fully awake, aware and on the road to recovery.

It seems like I am a living contradiction; believing in the power of prayer while doubting the seemingly very clear and direct statements Jesus makes.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 20:21-22

“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

John 6:60

It is likely that I will have my disability the entire time I live on this earth.  If this is what God has for me, I can accept it.  However, according to Scripture, we are instructed to never stop asking God for what we want.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:1-8.

I hope and pray that if I am alive when Jesus returns that he will find me still faithful.