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Scripture Reading: Matthew 17

I’ve mentioned before how our faith can affect those we love.  Today I’d like to talk about increasing our faith, so we can affect others even more.

Take a look at the example in Matthew chapter 17.  A man comes with his son to Jesus to ask Jesus to pray for the boy.  The man says:

“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him” (Matthew 17:15-16). 

So Jesus heals the boy in a moment.  The passage continues:

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 

He replied, “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). 

It seems like Jesus is being incredibly blunt.  But it also seems that the reason He’s being so blunt is because what He’s saying is―to Him―simply an established fact:  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.

If it’s such a fact, why don’t we see it in action?  The truth is, we do.

I was reading a few years ago about the power of the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.  Even though an atom is one of the smallest of particles in the world, when split, an atom can produce enough energy to level an entire city within seconds.  The same atomic power is at work every day at a nuclear plant near my house, powering our entire city, giving power to even the computer I’m using to type these words.

When Jesus says that something as small as a mustard seed has enough power to move a mountain, we tend to think He’s exaggerating.  And yet the truth is that something even smaller than a mustard seed can move a mountain―or several―in an instant.

Faith in Jesus is powerful.  It can move mountains.  It can bring healing.  It can bring repentance.  It can bring new life.

Jesus didn’t rebuke the demon-possessed boy, or his father, for their lack of faith.  But Jesus rebuked the disciples for theirs.  They had seen the power of God at work all around them, yet they faltered when putting that faith in action.

I falter, too.  I don’t want to, but I do.  I get tired.  I wonder if my prayers will ever be answered.  I wonder if my faith will ever make a difference.

It’s at those times that I need to renew my sense of faith and wonder in the power of Jesus Christ.  It’s at those times when I need to reread the stories recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to get a fresh perspective of what faith can do.  It’s at those times when I need to remind myself of what the early followers of Jesus did in His name, as recorded in the book of Acts.

When I do, I’m encouraged to put my faith in Christ again, to put my faith in the power that is available to all of us who believe in His name.  Power that can move mountains.  Power that can restore marriages.  Power that can revive broken bodies.  Power that can bring people and situations and circumstances back to life.

If you need a boost in your faith today, this week, this month, read and reread what Jesus and His followers did in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts.  Then put your faith to work on behalf of those you love.  When you do, as Jesus promised, “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Prayer: Father, open my eyes to see what’s possible when I put my faith in You, then increase my faith so I can watch You do it.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.