Small, Real, Abiding Faith by Chris White

Mulberry Tree

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’  And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’” Lk.17:5-6

In the sphere of human endeavor, great tasks or accomplishments require great resources and efforts.  It is quite natural for us to assume that great works of spiritual value must also require great amounts of faith.  But the Lord’s reply to His apostles request was just the opposite.  You don’t need a great amount of small faith, you need only a small amount of great faith.  What’s the difference?  It must be the conviction that God is in no way limited by situations and circumstances and can answer all prayers in accordance with His will.  The mulberry tree in Israel is deeply and broadly rooted but also could not survive being planted only in water.  It would be impossible to pull it out by human effort and impossible for it to thrive without divine intervention.  This is the kind of faith that can trust God for the impossible.  The call to this kind of faith must also be tempered with not putting the Lord to the test.  Jesus wasn’t afraid to jump off the pillar of the Temple because the Lord wouldn’t catch him, He was afraid to presume to do something the Father had not told him to do.  Presumption is not faith, it’s really a species of disobedience.  The way to avoid this trap is to trust God enough to not move beyond what you’re certain He has told you to do and not to move beyond His provision.  This is always hardest with people who have a bias towards action, but waiting on the Lord is the mark of real trust and humility.  As with all things spiritual, the Lord Jesus looks not to the quantity, but the quality of our faith.  If it is real, a small amount is all you need.