We are all familiar with the passages in the New Testament that record our Lord's remarkable statement in regard to the faith that moves mountains. When the disciples saw how soon the barren fig tree had withered away after it was cursed, and expressed their astonishment in regard to this, we are told that,
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive"—Matt. 21:21, 22.
Mark's account is a little fuller, and I would like you to have that before you also. There we read in chapter 11:23-26.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
I do not suppose that any of you for a moment would take our Lord's words literally; that is, you quite understand that He had no thought that any disciples of His would ever, at any time, undertake to level hills and mountains of earth and stone simply by prayer and faith. For these, undoubtedly, A Steam Shovel, backed by prayer and faith, would be the proper method of procedure, according to a principle that runs throughout the word of God, whereby we learn that those who labor earnestly for the Lord can count on Him to give wisdom and strength for their service. If, therefore, it were necessary to level an actual hill in order, perhaps, to locate a meeting-house or a mission hall in its place, we would not simply go down on our knees and ask God to clear the ground for us, but Faith and Works would go together.
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