Making Mountains Out of Molehills

Hey there, ladies! Today, I want to talk to y’all about making mountains out of molehills. You’ve heard that phrase, right?

It usually means to make a big deal out of something that’s pretty insignificant, or to just be overly dramatic. Any time we hear that phrase, it’s not usually used to say something good about somebody. I want us to think about it in a different way, though. I want us to think about mountains and molehills in terms of our prayer life. If you don’t mind, before we go any further, let’s read the following passages.

Luke 17:5-6

Matthew 17:14-21

Mark 11:20-25

So in Matthew 17, why is it that Jesus was upset that His disciples couldn’t cast out the demon?

We find out in verse 20 that “Because of your unbelief” the disciples were unable to help the child in this way. I think it’s important to note that Jesus didn’t laugh at them, or chide them for foolishly thinking that they ever could do such a powerful thing. He was not mad that they tried to heal someone without Him being physically present. Those were not at all the reason Jesus was upset. Rather, he was upset simply because they had such small faith in Jesus and God that they could not help this child out. He was more upset that their lack of faith in God caused both themselves and others disappointment. In verse 21, Jesus said that “prayer and fasting” were the only way to cast “this kind” of demon out. If they had only had the faith to God to help that child.

Oftentimes, we are like this in our own spiritual lives. We plum forget to ask God to help us out. Why is that? Is it because we don’t truly believe that He will help. Have we forgotten all of the ways He has blessed us and bailed us out of tough situations?

What happens when we don’t trust in God, when we don’t have faith in him, is that our prayers aren’t as effective—for one reason, because we don’t think to pray, but for another, because when we do pray, we don’t really mean it. If we don’t automatically think of God during our life’s struggles, and if He isn’t the first being we turn to, then we need to “Increase our faith” in Him, as the disciples asked in Luke 17. But how do we do that? How do we strengthen our faith? Let’s take a look at Philippians 4:6-7. It reads:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (NKJV)

Phew, there’s a lot there to dissect. But it is all relevant to our prayer lives. Here, we are first commanded to rejoice. I believe that, because our God is the God of all that is good (James 1:17), and because we are encouraged to think on good things (Philippians 4:8), and because of the command to rejoice and be thankful in Philippians 4, we should strive to maintain this attitude of gratitude in our prayers. When you are praying, remember when God has helped you, and even when He has blessed you in things you haven’t asked for. In doing so, you will strengthen your faith, and in turn, your prayer life.

Now, with these verses in mind, I want to get you to thinking about making mountains out of molehills. In life, it seems we face some pretty big mountains. Mountains that are bigger than ourselves. Mountains that keep us up worrying at night. Mountains like sickness, or deaths in the family, or friends straying away from Christ, or persecution in a nation that was supposed to have been founded on Biblical principles and has fallen far from its good intentions. When we compare ourselves to these big things, we are really intimidated. Lined up with these mountains, we feel like molehills, don’t we?

Wouldn’t you think that’s how the disciples felt at times? Like, man, I can’t turn water into wine, so how does Jesus expect me to heal this dude with a demon inside him? Or, man, I’m just a fisherman, I can’t walk on water. Molehills. That’s what the disciples were. Or, at least, that’s what they felt like.

Jesus did not want his disciples to feel like molehills, though, and He doesn’t want us to feel that small either. He wants us to remember that we can do all things through Him (Philippians 4:13), and the only way we can do things through Him is to remember Him in our prayers, in our studies, and in our actions. It’s not our strength that can move mountains and mulberry trees; it’s His.

If you find yourself struggling with prayer, I challenge you, as Christ did to His followers, to increase your faith. If you’re like me, a good long look at Hebrews 11 will help you out.

When you look at all of these “greats” in Hebrews 11, it is easy to see the purpose in their life and how God worked through them. We need to remember, too, that just because we can’t do things like part the Red Sea or build a gargantuan life-saving boat, that doesn’t mean we can’t do other great things too. If you sometimes have a hard time seeing how God has worked through your life, write it down. My Mom has told me two things that have really stuck with me in my life: 1) If you can’t remember something, write it down, and 2) It’s better to fall asleep counting your blessings than to fall asleep counting your problems. It is from these wise words that I have devised a list on my phone that helps me through hard times, my own personal pillars of faith, if you will.

This list records a lot of the things that I’ve prayed for and God has answered. And some of these things, I haven’t prayed for, and God has blessed me with them anyways. They may seem insignificant to you, but they’re really important to me. Sometimes, when I find myself counting my problems more than my blessings, when I’ve lost my faith, when I’m struggling to find power in prayer, I look to this list. I’m not gonna read all of it to y’all, and I know I have a lot more that needs to go on this list, but here’s a thing that helps me bunches to think about before I pray and to strengthen my faith.

In the past, I prayed many times on my dad’s behalf, that he would come to know God and become a faithful Christian. And it wasn’t just me, but my mom and brother prayed many times on his behalf, too. We never knew if God would grant that request. Not until one special day…

A few years ago, I was on a trip in Kentucky to an English club convention, and I received the call from my Dad that he had obeyed the gospel and had been baptized into Christ. It was one of the happiest days of my life, and I couldn’t help but marvel at what God had done. I nearly cried with relief and joy as I was sitting in the chair outside the auditorium. I told Dad I was so proud and happy and thankful, and I made sure to tell God how thankful I was when I got off the phone. I knew in that moment the power that prayer holds for us all, and I will never forget it.

If, like me, it helps you to strengthen your faith and your prayer life by writing down some of your answered prayers, I want to encourage you to do it below. However, I would like for you to comment in a certain way. So that we do not forget how big the faith of a mustard seed can be, so that we remember how beneficial our faith is to our prayers, lives, and others’ lives, I ask that you write your comment in the way that the Hebrew writer wrote about the faith of spiritual giants like Abraham, Noah, and Abel.

For example, “By faith, Tessa prayed that her dad would become a Christian one day, and God answered her prayer.” Or even for the seemingly small things like this, “By faith, Tessa prayed that she would pass her English Praxis exam, and God granted her that petition.”

I encourage you to look for the little things, because they add up. Your molehills aren’t really that small. With God, your small victories and blessings can become as big as mountains. When you pray with the faith of a mustard seed, knowing that God will answer your prayers and that He has before, God WILL make mountains out of your molehills. And you will ultimately start to use prayer as a first choice, and not a last result.

Thank you for your time and ears (or would that be your eyes in this case?). If any of you ladies would like to, please write your comments below. Have a good evening!