BIGGER THAN KILIMANJARO

BIGGER THAN KILIMANJARO

By Daniel Yohanna

    

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:23)

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, here assures us that with faith born in our hearts and expressed with our mouths, we can move mountains. What kind of mountains was he referring to? Was He teaching us to re-arrange the topography of the earth? Bulldozers and dynamites could easily do that.

While I believe He was pointing at a particular mountain (because of the use of the definite article, “THIS” when He said, “Whoever says to this mountain…” I also believe He was alluding to something greater than a physical mountain. A mountain can also denote problems we encounter in life.

When He spoke of a mountain, He was referring to:

 1)      Any obstacle. Just like a mountain is an obstacle to any road, anything that stands as an obstacle to your journey in life or opposes your progress, is a mountain. It can be moved.

 2)      A problem that is bigger than you. Just like a physical mountain is bigger than you, a mountain is any problem that you are not able to handle yourself. It may be bigger than you; I assure you that it’s not bigger than your God.

 3)      A problem that’s been there from generations. Just like the mountain in your village has been there from the days of your great grandfather, a mountain is any problem that has been there for generations. Your great grandfather faced it; your grandfather faced it; your father faced it, and now you’re facing it.

 4)      A problem with an invisible root. Just like you do not see the root of any physical mountain, so it is with many problems – their root or source is invisible. You don’t know who is behind it; neither do you always know what is responsible. Rom. 8:26 says the Spirit of God helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray or what to pray for, as we ought. I’m glad that the Scripture says, “God overturns the mountains by the roots…His eyes see every precious thing.” (Job 28:9,10).

No matter the kind or size of your mountain, Jesus said it can move. Therefore, the presence of a mountain is not the issue. Your attitude to the mountain is the issue. Those that fly do not complain about the bigness of the mountains. Do you realize you can be seated in the heavenlies with God (Eph. 2:6)? From that vantage point, you can have God’s viewpoint concerning the issues of life.

Comparing yourself to the size of your problems instead of comparing your problems with the size of your God is a big problem. That was what happened to the spies Moses sent to spy the Promised Land. Ten of them said they looked like grasshoppers in comparison with the giants, and went ahead to conclude that so were they in the eyes of the giants (Just wondering if they had any discussion with the giants). See Num. 13:26-33.

How you see a problem is the real problem. Instead of telling God how big your mountain is, tell your mountain how big your God is. Jesus told us to speak (directly) to our mountains.

While the Israelites saw a major obstacle in Goliath, David saw things differently. He saw an opportunity to make a difference. He saw a door to international limelight. While some see problems as stumbling blocks, others view them as stepping stones to higher ground. Some may see them as the end of the road, others see them as an opportunity to witness God make a way where there seemed to be no way.

Are you consumed with worry over the size of your problem or you are rejoicing over the surpassing greatness of your God who is bigger than all your problems?

How big is God?

    

Isaiah 40:12-18, 22-26

12 Who has measured the waters* in the hollow of His hand,

Measured heaven with a span

And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?

Weighed the mountains in scales

And the hills in a balance?

13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,

Or as His counselor has taught Him?

14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,

And taught Him in the path of justice?

Who taught Him knowledge,

And showed Him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,

And are counted as the small dust on the scales;

Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,

Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All nations before Him are as nothing,

And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

18 To whom then will you liken God?

Or what likeness will you compare to Him?

22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

23 He brings the princes to nothing;

He makes the judges of the earth useless.

24 Scarcely shall they be planted,

Scarcely shall they be sown,

Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,

When He will also blow on them,

And they will wither,

And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

25 "To whom then will you liken Me,

Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high,

And see who has created these things,

Who brings out their host by number;

He calls them all by name,

By the greatness of His might

And the strength of His power;

Not one is missing.

How big is your God? My (own) God is higher than the highest, greater than the greatest of men, bigger than the biggest creature (In fact, no creature compares with Him who is the Creator of all things).

There is a song we sing:

“Bigger than all my problems; bigger than all my fears. God is bigger than any mountain I can or cannot see.”

He is higher than the highest mountain. He is far greater than Kilimanjaro. He is much bigger than Everest. Nothing compares with my God.

Our minds are too small to really comprehend the magnificent magnitude of this perfect person.

    

Psalms 8:3-4

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

4 What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?

What is man that you are mindful of him? It is mind-blowing to imagine that this great and mighty God can have the time, the space and the affection in his heart to think about “little” us. But it only tells us how important we are in the sight of God.

The Psalmist said, “When I consider the heavens, the moon and the stars…”

Truly, the universe is said to be made up of hundreds of billions of galaxies that make up the great constellations in existence.

Our own galaxy – the Milky Way – comprises over 200 billion stars.

How big is a star? The closest fixed star to us is the sun, which is considered a dwarf star in comparison to others. The stars look like tiny little dots scattered in the sky - because of distance.

The earth is about 12,756km in diameter (equatorial) while, measuring from pole to pole, it is about 12,720km long.

The sun is 93 million miles or 149,600,000 km away from the earth.

It is 109 times larger than the earth in diameter.

It is 1.3 million times bigger than the earth in volume.

Now, if a star that big looks faint because of distance, what if you were on a star looking at the earth? It would take a very powerful telescope to see the earth. And then, what would be your size if someone were sighting you (that’s if you would be visible) from the star.  You wouldn't be up to an ant in size, not more than a piece of dust. What about the size of your brain? And you want to comprehend the size of the Almighty God with your little brain?

You can’t figure God out with your tiny little brain. It would blow your mind trying to analyze Him.

Have you tried using your small pocket calculator to multiply some figures up to a few billions? When you press the answer, it would read “error!” Because it doesn't have the capacity to handle such a large volume of figures. It’s the same with your brain. It’s beyond your mental capacity to comprehend God. After all, heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool (Isa. 66:1). He must truly be a very big God to sit in heaven (which is far beyond the farthest star) and stretch His legs as far as the earth. And when you think of someone having “long legs,” these are some “long legs.”

Stop trying to figure out how God would solve the problems you've brought before Him. Let go and let God. There’s nothing He cannot do. Nothing is impossible with God. Give it up to Him. Allow Him to do what you cannot do. Let Him do in your life things only He can do, that He alone will take all the glory. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that you can ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). That no one is able to do it does not mean God too cannot do it. When doctors have given up on you, He’s able to heal even what they refer to as incurable or terminal diseases. He can meet any need in your life. He is the Almighty God – El Shaddai – the Big-breasted One; the All-Sufficient One; the God who is more than enough. There’s nothing too big for my God to do. He’s just a prayer away.

If you have issues in your life you’ll like us to pray together concerning, be free to call me on 08077837847  or 08181982929. You can follow me on twitter @DanielYohanna. For more inspiring articles, visit www.danielyohanna.blogspot.com

If you live in Lagos, you can visit us 8am on Sundays at THE BROOK TABERNACLE, Finicky Hall, 6 Jibowu St, Yaba, Lagos. You are bound to have an encounter with God. A miracle awaits you as you come.