Mustard Seed Sized Faith

There is a brief teaching of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew that causes many of us to say, “Huh?”. It has to be way up there on the list of Jesus’ most mind-bending teachings, but it has a deep message for us all.

In this teaching, Jesus tells us “Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain ‘move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Many of us would say, “Move a mountain? That’s impossible!” Jesus would respond, “That’s just my point.” Let me explain what I mean.

We sometimes encounter a situation in our life which we feel is impossible to solve. It may be an interpersonal problem, a problem with a life choice, a financial problem, or something deep down inside us that we just can’t seem to fix. Whatever the situation is, once we deem it impossible to solve, we give up on finding a resolution and are stuck with living with the situation as it is. This can cause never-ending misery, and the situation can seem to mountainous in our inability to resolve it.

But Jesus offers a solution in the size of one of the smallest seeds we can imagine: faith. He tells us that faith in only the tiniest form can allow us to move mountains.

“Wait,” I can here you say, “how is that possible?” The secret lies in the nature of faith. You see, faith is not just a belief which we internalize, it is a direct link to God. With just a tiny bit of faith, that slender link is enough to tap into the immense power of God.

If you are facing a mountain-sized situation in your life that seems impossible to solve, I invite you to turn to heavenly help. Just say, “Heavenly Father, I need your help. I believe that you can move this mountain that I face.” Then explain what your problem is.

The answer may not come in the form you expect, or the expected timing. Just have faith and continue to ask for help. It will come.