Faith Like A Mustard Seed

 Prayer Practice

Breath Prayer – Take 2-3 minutes today to pray a simple breath prayer. Get somewhere quiet and relaxing. Breathe in deeply, and then breathe out fully. As you breathe in, ask God to fill you with His presence, grace, love, peace, etc. Consider using the list of spiritual fruit in Galatians 5:22-23. As you breathe out, offer to God the things you need Him to take from you – sin, doubt, shame, anxiety, fear, etc. Pray this way for just a few minutes, trusting God to work, and then begin reading today’s Scripture.

DAILY READING

Matthew 17:17-21

REFLECTION

God's Got Mountains to Move

 by Dan Kidd

This remarkable passage comes to us as Jesus’ response to a report from a desperate and grieving father, whose son had been suffering from seizures; seizures that regularly threatened his life. What a frightening reality this must have   been for them both; that at any moment his body may abandon his control and hurl itself into sea or fire! This dad came to Jesus after Jesus’ disciples—renowned for their ability to heal—were unable to fix this terrible problem.

Our passage reveals Jesus in lament; heart sore from the suffering of this boy and his dad, alongside the countless people he encountered daily who were tormented by the enemy and sinfulness. Added to this, I believe he is deeply disappointed with his disciples and, perhaps, even with this dad. Because what we will come to discover is that the only thing standing in between steady torment and salvation for this boy is a lack of faith. 

There’s a lot to meditate on here. And I encourage you to do so as you proceed through your day. Here’s what I see:
Jesus’ disciples failed to meet Jesus’ expectations for them. This is convicting. Jesus entrusted his disciples to go and do Kingdom work in his name, empowered by the Spirit. And while neither the disciples nor Jesus himself would heal or liberate everyone they encountered before their deaths (and neither will we), it’s evident in this story that this boy was meant to be healed. What Jesus intended for his disciples to do they failed to do. Their faith was too little. 

Is my faith too little? I suspect, given the mountains I’ve not moved, that it is. I reckon my faith has room to grow. Maybe yours does too? But how?

I’m thankful for Mark. In Mark’s version of this story he included a prayer that has shaped and bolstered me for years; In response to Jesus, the boy’s father exclaims, “I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief.” Faith is a gift of the Spirit. It is being confident in our hope and believing in what’s beyond our sight. It is by God’s grace that we have faith. And, according to this passage, Kingdom work depends on the Church embracing and acting out of that faith we’ve been gifted. God has mountains to move, and he has seen it fit to use us, through faith, to do this. I believe that. Lord, help me overcome my unbelief.