Have you ever met someone who just “gets it” when it comes to her Faith in God? She never seems to doubt. Worry or fear, you don’t see it in her. Do you know someone like that?
I actually do. She is a woman who was happily married. But, she and her husband were not blessed with babies. She was heartbroken and yet she didn’t let it bring her to despair. She actually just amped up her time with God and intensified her worship of her Heavenly Father.
She struggled with not being able to have a child, but she did not struggle with her belief that God would bless her. She knew that He would care for her and comfort her. And, one day she saw the fruit of her faith. She heard God speak through her spiritual leader in her community. This leader simply said God was going to grant her request. Keep in mind, outside of God telling her spiritual leader that He was going to come through for her, nothing else changed in her life. She wasn’t any younger, no miracle drug, or fertility treatment…nothing had changed. But she believed. She had Faith that God always keeps His Word. She left and, from that moment on, began living her life knowing that she was going to be a mother. And guess what? She got pregnant and had a baby boy! You can find out more about this amazing woman who truly lived her faith in 1 Samuel. Her name was Hannah.
I love the beautiful examples of faithful women in the Bible, but why is it that some of us Gals have so much trouble putting the same truths to work in our own lives today? Why do we sometimes think that Faith like that is only for Bible times? Let’s bring it forward and see what we can make of some Mustard Seeds…
- One Potent Little Seed
Sometimes it seems like it is easy for us to put our Faith in God for big things. I look back on the biggest test of Faith in my life, or at least, what looked like the biggest test: The discovery and treatment of a tumor in my brain. It came out of nowhere. I had no symptoms, no idea. I simply needed to get a new prescription for my contacts. But, a regular screening sent me down the path of hearing that I could lose my vision and needed to meet with a neurosurgeon. During the entire process, I had moments of fear, but never panic. I had this overwhelming sense that all would be well. God reassured me and my husband over and over. He kept His word. Now, I am tumor free and seeing just fine!
But, if you look at those mustard seeds… a brain tumor is definitely bigger. Sometimes, I find it harder to live in Faith with Mustard Seed-sized issues. I am talking about the little things, the daily things, the basics. Why is it easier to dump the big, towering issues at the feet of Jesus, but we can’t seem to let go of the control over things like meeting our daily needs? Why is it that we live with stress and worry over the very things that God wants to cover for us? Matthew 6 is a great place to camp out for awhile and absorb the foundations for the kind of Faith Jesus saw in us and wants us to live out daily. A strong prayer life – Give us our daily bread. A strong trust factor – Do not worry.
Looking at that picture above… would you believe that the tiniest of those seeds could contain enough power to tell a mountain to go jump into the sea? It could. Jesus told us so. You believe Jesus, don’t you? You do Believe, right? Do I believe?
I discovered that the secret to a Biblical Faith starts with Spirit-filled Belief. I have to truly, fully BELIEVE! Believe is a verb. (Yep, that means action is required.) To Believe is to accept as true or real. To have confidence in the truth or value of something, or in this case, Someone. (Hebrews 11:1; 2 Corinthians 5:7)
Ron Dunn, an author who is quickly becoming one of my favorites, shared some powerful truths about Biblical faith in his book, Faith Crisis. He says, “Faith is an activity of the mind and the will. There is little or no emotion involved in Biblical Faith.”
So here’s a little exercise that I am going to do right along with you. Make a list of the issues/concerns in your life. Then categorize them as a Mustard Seed, something you consider too small for God to bother with, or a Mountain, an obvious moment for God to shine…
Example:
- Brain Tumor – Mountain
- Covering the power bill – Mustard Seed
- An unexpected illness – Mountain
- Tackling the House Cleaning when you’re exhausted – Mustard Seed
- Getting the kids to do homework without complaining – Mustard Seed
- Getting enough rest – Mustard Seed
- Knowing what to say to your children in daily situations – Mustard Seed
You have a glimpse of my list. What is yours looking like? Now, write down why you think God isn’t capable of covering those mustard seeds? Be honest, because cutting God out of the tiny stuff doesn’t give Him the full reign in your life that He desires and deserves. I am tell you right here and now, I am guilty of doubting the power of the God of the Universe. But, I am praying for Him to turn my fledgling faith into the Mustard Seed Faith that Jesus described. We need to keep our minds and wills in tune with God’s (Matthew 6 – “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”)
If you are reading this and realizing that you’re in the same boat as me, I pray that God will touch your heart the way He is touching mine. Can you imagine what will happen if we all reach that point of Mustard Seed faith?
- “Hey Mountain, Move!”
There won’t be a mountain that can rise against the plan God has for our lives. Glory to God!
There are so many reasons why we need to help children fall in love with God’s Word, and to do it early on. One of the most important reasons is for the sake of who they will become.
