How big or small is your faith?
by Pastor Peter Bean
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If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted, and planted in the sea’, and it will obey you (Luke 17:6).
We have two mulberry trees in our yard. Both are young, but already rather large. I cannot imagine transplanting them, let alone telling them to get up and plant themselves in the sea. I guess my faith is much smaller than a mustard seed. And a mustard seed is tiny!
Fortunately, Jesus’ words are not actually about how big or small our faith is. Yes, it’s important that we have faith. But much more important is the Lord who provides faith, who cultivates it, and allows it, even when smaller than a mustard seed, to achieve mighty things.
I can identify with the father in Mark 9:24 when he says, ‘Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief’. I suspect my unbelief is often larger than my belief. Yet God works with that. He has done that throughout history and continues to do so – in my life and in yours, too.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), Jesus talks about blessing those who we wouldn’t consider part of society’s elite. I suspect many of those he mentioned – the sad, the humble, the poor in spirit – have small but tenacious faith. And that tenacity and faith are blessed. It is used to share grace, mercy, and justice.
Luckily, my mulberry trees don’t need transplanting, but there are plenty of big issues in the world that need the attention of my small faith. No, I can’t change everything or everyone, but I can be faithful. I can allow God to go to work in my heart and through my actions. I can allow Jesus to take my mustard-seed-sized faith and use it for wonderful blessings.
I can enjoy God restoring hope where there is no hope; bringing justice where justice does not seem to exist; spreading grace where grace does not seem to be present; and blessing faith where faith seems so small.
Thank you, God, that it is not the size of my faith that counts, but your nurture, presence, and grace that brings blessings through me. Amen.
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