Faith to Move ‘Walls’ Is Matter of Capability

Published March 8, 1984.  I must confess. There are some biblical verses that trouble me. One such verse is Matthew 17:20, which reads as follows: “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.”

I have often stood and gazed upward at the majestic Mount Timpanogos near my home. And wondered about my faith.

My wife and I had an experience not long ago about what is actually possible. I also learned a great deal about what faith is and isn’t. Who has it and who does not.

We are building a new house a few blocks from where we now live. We often walk over to the construction site late in the evening to see how the new house is progressing.

We were over there the other evening and were walking in the upstairs hallway. All the walls were constructed, and the next step for the builders would be to sheetrock. Susan stood, silent, in the hallway for a long period of time. Finally, she said, “It’s too narrow.”

“What’s too narrow?” I asked.

“This upstairs hallway,” she replied. “It needs to be wider.”

I didn’t say anything. There didn’t seem to be any need. The hallway and walls were already constructed, and that was that. If it was too narrow, we’d just have to live with it.

A few minutes later, on the way home, my wife said, “Have them change it.”

“Change what?” I inquired.

“The hallway.” She replied. “Have the builders widen the hallway upstairs.”

“That’s impossible,” I replied with my weak faith.

“Nothing is impossible,” she corrected with biblical fervor.

There is not enough space on two pages of newspaper to describe the discussion that followed. I tried to explain that having the builders move a wall is more complicated than returning some unwanted item to Mervyn’s or J.C. Penney’s. Susan was unmoved by the analogy or the logic. She simply explained that she was not satisfied with the width of the hallway upstairs. Her summary of our discussion was “There are ways the wall can be moved. Just figure out how and have it done.”

I didn’t sleep much that night. I had visions of going over to the construction site the next morning and asking the workmen if the wall could be moved. To make a long story short I did go over the next day and made our (her) request known. There was some good-humored jesting about planning, blueprints, and if I really was a lookout at Pearl Harbor during World War II. But they finally agreed after some bribery of cake and hot chocolate. Within two hours the wall was moved. And Susan was happy.

That night I went outside again and looked up at Mt. Timpanogos. Again, I wondered about my faith. After my experience with Susan and moving the wall. I realized that faith has as much to do with will as capability. I didn’t think the wall could be moved and therefore was hesitant to try. Susan knew it could be done and had the will to make it so. Doing it was merely a routine. As I looked upon the size of the mountain, I wondered if Susan with all her faith could move it.

At first I doubted. But after much thought I wondered. Give her a few tons of dynamite, a dozen dump trucks, a couple of front end loaders and a few willing workers, and we all might be surprised at what she could do.

Faith will move mountains. And it will also move walls I know, I watched it happen.