Mustard Seed Faith
You ever meet someone who tells you their testimony, and they leave you wondering “is that real? Is that kind of faith even possible?” You start to ask yourself how you can get to that point. You know, the point where even when life is crumbling you are at peace, able to trust God’s provision even before it comes.
I used to see “those people” and think it was all made up. I was convinced that they were only trying to make themselves feel better and that what they claimed to experience was absolutely impossible. What I later discovered is that it was impossible…but only because I thought it was.
A man was brought to the disciples to be healed, but the disciples could not heal him. When he was brought to Jesus he was healed. The disciples came to Jesus asking why they were unable to heal the man themselves and Jesus replied
“Because of your little faith…if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:19-20
Because of their lack of faith in the possibility of healing the man, they were prevented from doing so. In the same way, when we feel that something is impossible, we lack the faith it takes to make it possible.
What is Faith?
Faith; noun
- complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
- Similar: trust, belief, confidence, conviction, credence, reliance, dependence, optimism, hopefulness, hope, expectation
- Opposite: mistrust
- strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
Faith is a muscle.
It grows the more we use it. If we never use it, we will never have it. If we never exercise it, it will never grow. We put our faith in all kinds of things; ourselves, loved ones, friends, government, possessions. When a game’s developers fail to provide necessary updates, you lose faith in them or the game. When you can’t seem to win that round in your favorite FPS, you lose faith in yourself as a gamer.
When a friend follows through on a promise, our faith in them increases. When our favorite sports team does poorly, we may lose faith in them. When our kids make good choices, our faith in them increases. When your spouse disrespects you, your faith in them may decrease. Our faith ebbs and flows with the tide of these earthly things, and then we sit and wonder how someone can have faith in God.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15
How do we have faith?
It is a lot easier to have faith in things we can see and touch; things we can prove with our eyes. It is a lot harder to have faith in the unseen forces at work, and we risk sounding like lunatics when we try to explain a strong faith to those whose faith is misplaced.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2
Faith in God in our culture is perceived as a misplaced faith, but when we have the courage to break the mold and put our faith in Him, we open ourselves up to what He has promised us.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8
Faith doesn’t always make sense
Life doesn’t always make sense. Sometimes things happen and we want to understand it, but the reality is that we are not meant to understand everything. That is God’s job, and I for one am glad it is His job and not mine.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3
God gives me the knowledge and understanding I need when I need it, and then I can rest easy knowing that I am not meant to be concerned over the rest of it.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
Having faith in God means I can be still, I can be confident, I am assured, and I am saved. Saved from what? Saved from myself, my sins, my past, this broken world.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
What do you do with faith?
I have hope and a future waiting for me in His kingdom.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10
Faith means that while I am here with my family, friends, and enemies that I am cared for by a God who loves me, and whom I can trust to lead the way because He already has my path laid out before me.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Faith of a mustard seed when planted grows into a strong faith muscle that can bring you through any storm. Faith gives us hope for what is ahead. Trust God, and put your faith in Him and you will reap the rewards He has in store for you.
