“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” Matt. 17:20. So why do I struggle with the molehills?
Praying for the Asaro mud men of New Guinea or for the salvation of Hindu’s in the city of Tirupati in India somehow seems doable. I know that the Lord has a heart for the lost and He calls people to go to the far corners of the world to reach those lost. So I know I’m praying for something that’s close to His heart. Even closer to home, I don’t have a problem praying for the needs of the Saavedra's family and their ministry in Mexico.
In all these prayers my faith seems to know no bounds. But when the person is standing right in front of me asking for prayer, that’s when my doubts and fears show up, and I start trying to grab for that, seemingly, elusive mustard seed of faith. Like trying to grab a handful of air.
When it comes to the smaller, more personal, prayers for people, my faith seems to evaporate.
Jesus was frustrated with the disciples for their lack of faith (the whole incident runs from Matt. 17:14-21), yet at the same time encouraged them, that even with faith as small as a mustard seed, they could move mountains.
In Romans 12:3 we read, ”God has dealt to every man a measure of faith.” So, at the very least, it would seem, we have something close to a mustard seed to start with.
As I think about this, perhaps my focus has been too much on my measure of faith. Being unsure of God’s will in the particular situation and fear of getting things wrong. I end up depending too much on my own wisdom and insight, what there is of it, and almost forgetting God’s interest in the transaction.
I always like to go to the dictionary. It helps me get the full meaning of a word. I think we often use words without thinking about their full meaning.
Faith, to put your trust in someone; trust, a firm belief in the reliability of a person. Confident expectation.
I can only imagine what my prayers would be like if, each time I came to the Lord, I came with a firm belief and confident expectation in Him and His faithfulness.
Faith is believing, believing that Jesus is willing and able to do anything we ask. Trusting in the Lord's faithfulness, and His promise to hear our prayers and answer them. There are so many scriptures that not only encourage us to pray but declare God hears our prayers and is more than willing to answer them. As it says in Psalm 65:2, “He is the God who answers prayers.”
Going back to that mustard seed, what encourages me is, when fed and watered, seeds grow (you might not know that). It means, as I step out, putting that seed of faith to work, looking to Jesus, seeing His power at work in my life and in those I pray for, I’m encouraged. My confidence in Him and my ability to hear His voice grows.
What this means to me, as I pray for the molehills or mountains of others, is to put my pride and fear aside and put all my trust and confidence in Jesus. Remembering, in all things, we depend upon Him, and taking time to wait on the Holy Spirit to give me the understanding I need to pray effectively.
Not forgetting that, “He is the God who answers prayer.”
—Mick Sanderson
