Most of us will admit that we struggle with weak faith at times. I sometimes feel that a “mustard seed” sized faith is my best. When I do, I usually attempt to muster up that faith. I pick myself up with my bootstraps, so to speak, and get real aggressive asserting my faith. The louder I get, the hard I hit the pulpit, the more insecure I usually am. That’s because I don’t think I can generate faith with the power of my own heart. It doesn’t seem to work. As a matter of fact the hard I try, the louder I get, the more difficult it is to rest, confidently, in God’s arms.
I think the best course for building up our faith is to reach out to the Lord. Tell Him, about my struggles, and then read the Word and see what He has to say to me. I once read an interesting fact about mustard seeds. This is what it said, “A mustard seed has a small amount of nourishment within itself to support the germ of life. Therefore, it must be planted near the surface in rich, fertile ground if it is to flourish. As soon as a tiny shoot emerges, it must immediately obtain food and strength from another source. The moist, loamy soil around it and the sunlight from above must work their miracle if the plant is to survive.” The writer went on to compare this to our faith. He said, “The same is true with our faith. Because it is so weak, it must reach beyond itself for sustenance and growth. It should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
I think this is what Paul might have meant in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5, where he personal shares his own weaknesses with us. He writes, “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
William Blake, the famous poet, once said, “Great things are done when men and mountains meet.” To me, it’s always been the power of God that moves mountains, not my own efforts. God has sure moved lots of mountains for me! I hope he has moved some for you!
Chuck
“A voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. (Matthew 17:5)