Devotions
All Things Possible
Tue, 04 Sep 2012 - 11:54 AM CST
A few years ago, I was inspired to ride my bike across the country to raise money for widows and orphans. The plan was to start out in California and end in Maine, while stopping to do concerts along the way. It seemed simple enough, but it didn't occur to me until I started the trip that I would be encountering several difficult paths and mountains during the ride.
Our lives are full of unexpected mountains. They're unpredictable and, often times, their mere size can be overwhelming. We find ourselves weary and tired and discouraged, and we end up letting the mere existence of these mountains cripple our confidence.
As I came across a lot of the mountains, each time I found myself praying, "Lord, please take these mountains away." Morning after morning, I would get back on my bike and the mountains were still there and I had to ride through them. Along the way, something clicked for me and my prayer changed: "Lord, I know the mountains are going to be there, so please give me strength to face these mountains." When I shifted gears and surrendered the mountains to Him, my perspective changed. I started to notice that I had strength to go over one mountain, which then gave me the confidence and strength to tackle the next one after that.
We will always have mountains in our lives, but when we rely on the strength of Christ instead of our own, we find courage and confidence to face each difficult situation, mountain after mountain. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (NKJV). What that means is that no matter how high or large or wide the mountains in our lives may be, we can rest in the promise that our God will always be bigger and greater and stronger. Through Christ, anything is possible.
In his career, platinum selling artist Mark Schultz has been widely embraced for his hit songs such as "He's My Son," "Remember Me," "Letters From War" and "I Am." His latest album All Things Possible was released on Sept. 4. The title track of the album was inspired by Mark's 3,500 mile bike ride across the country for The James Fund.
