Faith of a mustard seed

How big would you rate your faith today?

I’ve often thought that my level of faith must be significant since after taking a test years ago, I discovered it was my spiritual gift. I really did believe that it could never be shaken. Without sounding prideful, I was often confident that nothing could ever change the capacity of my faith. But honestly, my faith has been tested many times and nearly failed.

Faith is often described as trust in someone or something that we believe can bring change, and even victory. We watch sports and have faith that our team is going to win. We drive down the road and have faith that other drivers will respect our vehicle. We teach our children in all aspects of life and have faith that they’ll make the right choices when confronted with wrong. There are so many scenarios in life where our faith in the Lord can be practiced.

In Matthew 17, we’re told the story where a man brings his son suffering from seizures to Jesus because the disciples could not heal him. Jesus healed the boy instantly. The disciples, that couldn’t heal the boy, came to Jesus and asked why. Jesus replies,

“Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ~ Matthew 17:20-21

A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds in the world. You may be able to hold it within the cusp of your fingernail, but if you dropped it, it would probably take a magnifying glass to find it. I have a friend who makes jewelry and recently she showed me a clear, cross necklace she had made. Inside the necklace was a mustard seed, unseen to me until she pointed it out. It was hard for me to imagine that my faith being the size of this minute, perfectly round ball could rearrange a geographical summit consisting of several tons of dirt, rock, and trees. Of course, Jesus is likely referring to the mountain as a giant we’re facing. It’s hard to imagine our faith being as small as this tiny seed, but as Jesus describes it, it has the power to move mountains.

We can certainly have faith the size of one hundred mustard seeds and never even use it. Scripture tells us that faith is a gift directly from God. However, I confess that I’ve had the ability to use my faith in endless ways, and I didn’t. There may be several different reasons such as lacking faith (go figure), not exercising our faith and allowing it to lie dormant, and not even considering using our faith in certain situations.

When someone shares with us a need, a medical diagnosis, or even a life-changing event, our first practice of faith should be prayer. We can believe all day long that God will fix the situation, but He wants us to practice our faith and ask Him to meet the need. And just like Him, He meets our needs as we pray for others. Too often we want to see the results and hear the good news that came from those prayers, but sometimes we need to simply remain humble, continue praying, and trust that God is completing His will in those situations.

In ministry, our faith can determine whether we excel or fail. If we remember to ask God to use us and move within it, coupled with our belief in His ability to complete it, He may even surprise you with a miracle. We need to remember that the mountainous task sitting before us is movable if we only apply our faith. If we simply step out of our doubting-Thomas faith and believe Jesus’s words, surely life could be much different for us all.

We may think of our faith as a well-rounded belief in something that if given the opportunity, we’ll share it, right? It’s imperative that we share our faith with others. Especially within their burdens, their tears, and their broken hearts. Your faith of a mustard seed can move mountains for others and make a way for their faith to grow. Then, if it be His will, there will come mountains of healing, mountains of kindness, mountains of miracles, mountains of love.

Hold tight to your mustard seed size faith and above all, remember…nothing is impossible with God.

-Sherri J. Cullison