I have been taking morning walks for the past week just to get a bit of fresh air before my telework day begins. As I make my way down what used to be a busy thoroughfare, I can’t help but to glance inside the parked cars that I pass. In each one I see the same items tossed haphazardly on passenger seats: gloves, facemasks and disinfectant wipes, a sobering indication that times have changed.
Isn’t it interesting how often we fall back on fear? Speaking for myself, falling into fear is easier because it happens without a fight. All I have to do is allow the enemy to fill my head with negative thoughts, worst case scenarios and the myriad of ways everything can go wrong so I can allow myself to be sent spiraling into an abyss of negativity. But it does not have to be this way.
These are unprecedented times that require us to have and display faith. Having faith requires intentionality. It requires reigning in our thoughts. It requires changing our speech. It requires belief. In Greek, the word faith is emunah, which means something that is “consistent”, and emeth which means, “that which is reliable”. God encapsulates both meanings. He is our constant (our emunah), the one on which we can rely (our emeth), especially during times like these.
The Bible offers insight into faith that blew my mind when I found it in Matthew 13:31-32, 17:20 and Luke 17:5-6. Each scripture shares that faith as small as a mustard seed is all we need to show God how willing we are for him to operate in our lives. Don't believe me? Keep reading!
1. Matthew 13:31-32: We find Jesus speaking with the masses about the Parable of the Sower. In his sermon, he shares, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
2. Matthew 17:20: We find Jesus speaking with the disciples that their lack of faith prohibited them from removing a demonic spirit from a young boy. He said, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”
3. Luke 17:5-6: Finally, in response to the disciples request for the Lord to increase their faith, Jesus says, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.”
It's so important to note that the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, but, once planted, can grow to be one of the largest plants in the garden, “so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches” (Matthew 13:32). The same happens in our spirit. If we plant a mustard seed of faith that God has us, provides for us, comforts us, and will always be with us, then God can take that seed and multiply faith in our lives.
But how do we do allow that mustard seed to germinate in our spirit? Through prayer, meditating on the word and speaking life.
Prayer is our lifeline of communication with God. It’s the place where you “cast our cares” about everything onto God (1 Peter 5:7). Your language with God does not have to be super religious. That type of thinking keeps you from praying because it makes you believe you must be of a certain religious caliber in order to talk to God. You don’t. All you have to do is talk. Tell God that you’re afraid. Tell God that you don’t understand what’s happening. Tell God that you don’t like what happening in your life. He is there to listen AND he will respond to you because you trust him enough to willingly share your innermost thoughts that he knows you are thinking.
Studying the word of God allows you insight into how God operates. This issue is that many people feel intimated by reading the bible because they believe the language is too complicated to comprehend. This is why there are a variety of translations that help you to understand the text.
Many also say they don’t know where to begin. I would suggest starting with Psalms, Proverbs, or even the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament—where you learn about the life of Christ and his ministry. All you have to do is start reading. The Holy Spirit will share insight that will help you to get to know the Father through the text.
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Speaking life to yourself and others is vital, especially during times of trial. The more you speak positively, the more positivity it manifests. This does not mean you will not encounter difficult times, but it does mean that, during those times, like now, your outlook will open the door to the peace of God that will sustain you.
This is our opportunity to deepen our well of faith. This is our opportunity to aggressively seek after faith rather than to choose to live in fear. Like peace, faith requires action and a belief that, no matter what, God is reliable and will do what he says he will do. During times of trial, the option that will bring us into God’s peace is faith. Let us choose faith, actively seek faith, and live lives of faith.
