For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a 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 17:20
Only the smallest amount of true faith allows God to do amazing things in and through us. I have always found this passage meaningful. The way in which Jesus is responding to his disciples lack of faith is interesting. They have faith in God, and faith in Jesus, but they themselves are having doubt in their ability to cast our demons or heal as Jesus has. It makes us wonder if there is doubt in their hearts, or if they hadn’t said the right words, or prayed fervent enough. It might make us doubt our own ability to have the kind of faith to do the miraculous in Jesus name – and we do doubt it.
I wish we could have that little amount of faith, to truly believe and see the wonderful things of God, but doubt always seems like a larger seed, striving to take over and squashed out faith. However, there is something important we should realize about faith – it isn’t about the size of the seed at all, it’s about having the seed in the first place.
Size isn’t important, as long as the faith is there. No seed means no action, and no consequence, if we don’t plant seeds, we can’t expect there to be anything to harvest. If we don’t have faith at all, clearly, no miracles will occur. Yet, eve a miniscule seed will be enough for something to happen. But let’s take the analogy a little further. That ‘something’ that is going to happen also requires us to do something with the seed. Just like a real seed needs water, soil, care, so does our faith. We need to water it with prayer and study, we need to plant it relationships that tend to our soul, and we care for it by worship. When we do these things, the Master Gardner, will work to grow our faith into something amazing.
Let us plant our faith – no matter how large or small – and give it to the hands of God, that we might see it grow into the peace, mercy, and love of a kingdom that is beyond our own, with God in heaven.
Grace & Peace,
Sam