The Mountains Shall Depart

I was impressed by the majesty of the snow-covered mountains in the early morning light as I drove my daughter to school this morning. I have been blessed to live near these “everlasting hills” and they do indeed seem so imposing that they could never move. This reminds me of these well-known words of Isaiah: “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee” (Isaiah 54:10). As permanent as those mountains seem, as immoveable as they appear, it is more likely for them to depart than for the Lord to forsake us. I like how Tasha Layton put it in her recent Christian song Into the Sea (It’s Gonna Be Ok):   

Though the mountains may be moved into the sea

Though the ground beneath might crumble and give way

I can hear my Father singing over me

"It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay" 

The words of the Lord through Isaiah continue: “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee” (Isaiah 54:11-14). For those who are afflicted and tossed with the figurative tempests of life, those who cannot find comfort, He promises to ultimately take us far from fear and from terror. And what do we have to do to obtain these blessings? I believe we see that in the final verse of this chapter: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17). As we strive to be His servants, as we seek to live with righteousness—keeping covenant with Him—then His peace and comfort and prosperity are our heritage. And His promises are surer than the mountains before us.

               The other passage of scripture that comes to mind as I ponder the mountains before me is this one: “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). The mountains should remind us that no matter what obstacle we face, with faith in God we can move them. President Nelson put it this way: “Your growing faith in Him will move mountains—not the mountains of rock that beautify the earth but the mountains of misery in your lives. Your flourishing faith will help you turn challenges into unparalleled growth and opportunity. On this Easter Sunday, with my deep feelings of love and gratitude, I declare my witness that Jesus Christ is indeed risen. He is risen to lead His Church. He is risen to bless the lives of all of God’s children, wherever they live. With faith in Him, we can move the mountains in our lives.” We see this in a dramatic way in the story of Alma and Amulek at Ammonihah. After their terrible suffering and the terrible persecution of the believers, Alma cried out in prison: “How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance.” And deliverance is exactly what they received: “And they broke the cords with which they were bound;… And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ” (Alma 14:26, 28). Through their faith in Jesus Christ they were delivered, and the Lord promises to deliver each of us as we exercise faith in the Son of God. The mountains should remind us that His power and love are more permanent than them, and no matter the obstacle in front of us, it can be moved through faith in Him.