My Faith is Too Small!

January 2020, visiting Barbara in the hospital

It was October, 2019. I returned to our great room in tears, tears of joy! I could barely mumble out to my curious husband what I’d just experienced as I spoke with my sister struggling with COPD across the country by phone.

She prayed with me. She trusted Jesus as her personal savior.

That was the beginning of a new depth in our relationship. For the next several months, we spoke on the phone almost daily. Twice I boarded a plane to be with her. Every conversation pointed us to Jesus. Sometimes it was my sharing scripture with her. More than once it was she sharing Bible narratives she remembered with me. Whatever we shared became the fodder for our prayer together that day.

My faith was definitely too small. Would our sister-relationship ever change to sisters in Christ? I didn’t think so. My faith was way too small!

One evening she reminded me of the parable of the mustard seed.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed
that a man took and sowed in his field.
It is the smallest of all seeds,
but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants
and becomes a tree,
so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Matthew 13:31 and 32

The size of the seed is not an indicator of the size of the plant; the size of the potential buried deep in the seed.

“‘But if you can … help us.’
‘All things are possible for the one who believes.’
‘I believe; help my unbelief!’
… his disciples asked him privately,
‘Why could we not cast it out?’
‘This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.'”
from Mark 9:22-29

I believe; help my unbelief! So often this is my plea. Truth tells me my unbelief is not the issue. Jesus is able. Am I praying?

So often I want to do; Jesus asked me to pray, to trust his ability to do.

“For by the grace given to me …
think (of yourself) with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith
that God has assigned.”
Romans 12:3 (parentheses mine)

Commentators don’t agree of the phrase, measure of faith. Does that mean that we all have the same amount of faith? Or does it mean that we have differing measures?

Whatever, God has assigned my measure of faith. So God has assigned what he is asking me to trust him for. If I think my faith is too small, my standard is higher than God’s!

“Now to him who is able to do
far more abundantly
than all that we ask or think …”
Ephesians 3:20

I remind myself of this truth often signing all my correspondence with FMA, Far More Abundantly.

A Mustard Tree

A Mustard Seed

Even as I pen these truths that counteract the lie that my faith is too small, I think of a very difficult situation. It’s easy to think, this is impossible; my faith is FAR too small to trust God with this one. And I’m challenged, where is my focus? On the perceived impossible and my small faith or on God who is able to do far more abundantly than all the I even ask him for or think about.

What about you? Do you struggle with thinking your faith is too small for your current reality? I encourage you along with me to trust these truths. Or perhaps there are other truths God has whispered to you. Please share!

Copyright: Sue Tell, June 2024