Faith Does Matter

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room was filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So this man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun-up to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to the cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts in his weary mind.

"You have been pushing against that rock for a very long time, and it hasn't moved,"

Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged ad disheartened the man. Satan said,"Why kill yourself over this? Just give the minimum effort and that will be good enough." That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord, I have laboured long and hard in Your service, putting all my strength to do that which You have asked. Yet, after all these time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimetre. What's wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My son, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against that rock with all your might, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you have come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. Is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and push, and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my son, will move the rock."

What God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise that faith that moves mountains, but know that it is God, not you, who moves the mountain.

Beautiful story. Because at one point in time, I really was like the man who lived in the cabin. Sometimes I still am. But now, I know one day the Lord will move those mountains for me after all the pushing.

PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens.