“30 But the angel said to her, … 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, … 35The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God’” (Luke 1:30, 31, & 35 NIV84).
Mary’s first encounter with God was through an angel. If that wasn’t enough to frighten her, surely his message must have been terrifying. She had a “first encounter” like no other. Yet, the Scripture tells us that her only reaction was, “I am the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1:38a NIV84). That is childlike faith!
I can’t remember my very first encounter with God, but I am very sure that it was nothing like Mary’s first encounter. I do remember learning about faith the size of a mustard seed. My teacher gave us necklaces with that tiny seed, so small that you could barely see it, and explained that just that little bit of faith could move mountains.
Mary had no way of knowing what the future would hold. She didn’t stop to consider how Joseph would respond. She may have had thousands of questions, yet she trusted God completely. Mountain-moving faith was what Mary showed when faced with the moment that would change, not just her life, but all eternity.
When I first heard about mustard seed faith, I most likely anticipated giant mountains literally moving. It was only years later that I literally saw God move mountains in my life. They weren’t mountains of dirt and stone. They were career challenges and family crises. Some were mountains of my own creation. Others were mountains of circumstances. God showed up as I approached each mountain, and the more that I trusted Him, the more those mountains moved.
I don’t know what your first encounter with God was, but if you haven’t seen Him move a mountain, then it’s time to trust Him more. The desperate father in Mark’s gospel responded like most of us do when confronted with mountains. Jesus told him that healing was possible if he believed. He said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24b NIV84). Faith is a growth process, and every time God moves a mountain, your faith will grow stronger. Trust Him!
Mary’s faith moved a mountain that changed all of eternity. What kind of mountain do you need to move?
“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20 NIV84).
Musings from My Sun Porch 
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