From the desk of Pastor Ben

The Power of Faith – Part 2

Truly I say to 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 to you.         (Matthew 17:20b)

Jesus seems to contradict Himself, first rebuking the disciples for having small faith and then telling them that even the smallest faith can move mountains. But as He made clear in the parable of the mustard seed, the seed does not represent littleness as such, but rather littleness that grows into greatness. “When it is full grown,” He said, “it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree” (Matthew 13:32). Small faith can accomplish great things only if, like a mustard seed, it grows into something greater than it was. Only when small faith grows into great faith can it move a mountain.

Mustard-seed faith is persistent faith. It continues to grow and become productive because it never gives up. It’s the sort of faith exercised by the man who kept knocking on his neighbor’s door late at night until he got a response (Luke 11:8).

Jesus also illustrated mustard-seed faith in the parable of the oppressed widow (Luke 18:1-8), a parable He gave specifically “to show that at all times they ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). When we are tempted to become discouraged, that’s when we need to be persistent in prayer.

Ask Yourself:
How have you seen your faith grow throughout the years? And what have been some of its greatest catalysts? Knowing that seasons of ease and plenty are rarely fertile ground for an increase of faith, how does this affect your reaction to the troubles you’re facing now?