Mustard seed faith

Luke 17:5-6: The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  He replied, “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.”

Sometimes people think of having faith if we believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again for our sins.  But what does it mean to have faith?  We certainly cannot weigh it or measure it in length, depth, height and width.  How can we decide if we have faith and if it is even as small as a mustard seed or as large as a boulder?

When I look at examples of faith in the scripture, I find the people whose faith was demonstrated was primarily demonstrated in what they said.  (Romans 10:9-10)

The woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5) for 12 years said, ”If I can but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be healed.”

The centurion said, “(Jesus), you don’t need to come to my house (Matthew 8), just  speak the word and my servant shall be healed.”  Jesus said he had not seen such great faith in all of Israel.

The Shunemite woman said, “It is well.” (2 Kings 4) She did not identify with the circumstances, my son is dead; she identified with what she could not yet see by faith.

Abraham said to his servants, my son and I will go up the mountain and worship and come again.  He received his son back as it were in a figure, before they left to climb to the top of Mt. Moriah.  (Hebrews 11:19)

Jairus said, (Jesus) lay your hands on her that she may be healed and she shall live.  After being interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus told Jairus, be not afraid, only believe.  (Mark 5)

When we speak of our circumstances, we add to our captivity, but speaking the answers to our requests of the Lord, we give substance and evidence of that which we cannot yet see.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1)  Speaking of things that are not yet apparent is the same reason we give thanks when we make our requests known to God.  (Philippians 4:6–8)

Like Abraham, we express our faith by speaking of things that are not as though they were.  (Romans 4:17) Just as God did on the first day.  Into the circumstance of darkness, God spoke light. (Genesis 1)

Faith is a moment-to-moment choice. Just going to church and having “faith” is not the same as believing one of God’s exceeding great and precious promises.  (2 Peter 1:4) Which words are we trusting in?  Or are we trusting in an ephemeral spirit not really knowing if we’re trusting that what the Lord has promised, he is able also to perform.  (Romans 4:21) Jesus didn’t tell us he would give us whatever we wanted like a genie from a bottle. 2 Corinthians 1:20 affirms that all of God’s promises are yes and in him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us.  Yet James 4:3–4 adds the proviso that we ask and do not receive because we ask amiss to consume it upon our own lusts.

(Cathy Bayert is pastor of Greybull First Baptist Church.)