Day 17 | Luke 17
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “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.”
(Luke 17:5-6 NASB)
The disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith and He answers them by sharing what their faith can accomplish. Is this giving them more faith? Or is it motivating them to increase their own faith so they can see the results?
Asking God to give me faith has been strikingly ineffective in my life. The reason for this, I believe, is that this request is often an attempt to skip the hard work, which faith, consequently, often comes with. I do not want to spend long nights in passionate prayer. I do not want to exercise my faith and possibly get disappointed. I don’t want to weigh the intentions of my heart and determine whether or not the things I want are in the will of God. But faith is our part in this story and there is work, as well as reward, that goes along with it.
Yahweh is not just some god. He has a relationship with us and, therefore, it’s complicated and involved. Sometimes I wish that I could just have a coffee meeting with Him once a week and then everything would be up to date and my faith box was checked off. But that is not the case and, deep down, I don’t want it to be. We don’t live assignment to assignment, we live every moment in a relationship where we are in love with our Savior and He is in love with us. If that’s not what you want, then choose someone else. But I guarantee, they won’t satisfy you. We were made in the image of God and, as such, we long for deep relationships just like Him. Faith is our part of this complex life. And faith becomes easier and easier the more you know your Creator.
Let’s not give up. If there’s an area in your life that you are struggling in faith, it isn’t wrong to pray for it but just know that you have to make the choice to receive it when it’s offered.
How can you act in faith this week? What is God asking you to do that will grow your faith in Him?
