Increase Our Faith
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (Luke 17:5-6)
Have you ever heard someone say something like, “All it takes a mustard seed of faith”? This is where that is coming from, BUT the meaning gets lost in well-meaning statements like that.
Mustard Seed Faith
When we think of a mustard seed, it’s really tiny – approximately 1mm in length. And Jesus said that if we had faith like a grain of mustard seed we could uproot trees with our words and plant it in the sea and it would obey us. Now most people take the view that all it takes is a small amount of faith – even as small as a mustard seed, BUT here’s where the issue comes in – we don’t even have that tiny amount of faith.
Jesus often said, “O you of little faith” because it’s true of us as mankind. Jesus wasn’t trying to give us a pep talk that we just need to muster up a small seed size of faith; He’s explaining that we don’t have as much faith as we might think we do.
It can be easy to get sucked into thinking we’re more than we are. I’m sure when the disciples said, “Increase our faith!” they didn’t realize just how much of an increase they really needed. But by Jesus mentioning the amount of faith being likened to a mustard seed and the impact of that faith, it helps to visually put into perspective that we have even less faith than that, while simultaneously encouraging us to have more faith.
It Would Obey
None of us have had this amount of faith – not enough to fill a grain of mustard seed, but fortunately we have a great example of someone who did. Take a look back in Luke 8 when Jesus calmed the storm:
One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” (Luke 8:22-25)
Jesus had enough faith to command the storm to cease and the winds and waters obeyed. And the very next question Jesus asked His disciples was, “Where is your faith?”
Now, let’s be super clear here; having faith isn’t about being able to control nature – winds, waters, trees, and seas – but if we all had even the tiniest amount of faith like a grain of mustard seed, oh how different our lives would be! How free we would be to serve the Lord without hindrance of doubt and fear if we had faith like that. So why don’t we?
Increase Our Faith
Our hearts desire should be like that of the apostles as they said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” But before we get to a place of wanting our faith increased, we must come to the realization that we are lacking faith. That’s a place that drives us to go to God with our lack, ask for help, and receive from His abundance.
This takes a humble heart. A heart that acknowledges that our faith is smaller than even a tiny little mustard seed. A heart that’s desperate to have faith that could move mountains that would bring God glory through our obedience.
Let’s take a heart check moment here – do you acknowledge your lack of faith?
Take time to sit before the Lord with this acknowledgement and wait on Him. Renew your strength in waiting on Him. And as He increases your faith, rise up with wings like eagles and soar in your walk with Him as He guides you through every step of your life. And may we never stop saying to our Lord, “Increase our faith!”