Our Faith Is Based In A Great, Big God, Not In Ourselves

It’s true we are products of our past, but we don’t have to remain prisoners of it.

“The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘ Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17:6

It was a cold February night. I had just wrapped up a Bible study in the book of Proverbs. I had told everyone goodbye and was going to go lock the door when one of the Saints of the church asked for a moment of my time.

This saint had been born in the church. He had seen the formation of the United Methodist Church through the merging of two denominations in the 1960s. He had served in nearly every capacity and role you can imagine. He was a steward that most preachers dream off. He read scripture on Sundays and was never afraid to pray. I would often tell people that one day I wanted to be just like him. That’s how great of a role model he was to his church and to the pastors who had the opportunity to serve in his churches.

But this night, I saw something different on his face. That night there was something wrong.

After we sat back down at the table, I grabbed his hands and asked him a question I’ve asked a thousand times before. “How is it with your soul?” And he started to cry. All I could do was wrap him in my arms and give him a hug that told him I was there for the duration so let it all out.

He tried to talk once and then fell back into tears. Finally, he regained his composure and said, “Preacher, I just don’t know if I have the right kind of faith!”

We had just read and discussed Proverbs 19: 23 which says, “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by harm.”

He was anything but content that night.

We talked and talked about faith. He talked about a faith of going through the motions. Of a checklist for God. Of being the right kind of person. The right kind of congregation member and the right kind of father.

We talked about how this kind of faith leads to doubt. When you start wondering why your prayers aren’t being answered. When you start questioning why some are healed and others aren’t. Why some are successful and others struggle.

Then, in a moment of epiphany, the Holy Spirit gave me words and I asked this saint of the church if he had to describe the size of his faith, how big would it be?

“Would it be this size?” I asked spreading my arms out. He shook his head no. I brought my arms closer and asked again. And again he said no. “How big would you say your faith is,” I asked. And he held out his thumb and forefinger and measured about an inch across.

“But that’s a thousand times bigger than a mustard seed!” I exclaimed. “That’s more than enough!”

I was blessed that night to see the convicting power of God in another’s life. He had lived with doubt for so long because he expected faith to lead to certain events and outcomes. And because things around him weren’t happening the way he thought they should, he thought his faith had failed him. But faith isn’t like that. We don’t have faith in ourselves. If we did, we could wave our magic hands and abracadabra, poof, things would be the way we want them to be. Our checklists would be complete and all of our transactions would be holy.

Instead, we have faith in Jesus. Faith that Jesus has reached out and loved us poor, broken sinners. We believe in the great, big God who can work all kinds of miracles in this world. And a Holy Spirit that comforts us when all we can do is cry.

Maybe that’s why Jesus set the bar for real faith so low. The size of a mustard seed. Because He knew sometimes we would confuse faith in ourselves with faith in the everlasting, transformational, and powerful God of the living! (Mark 12:27)