The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"More Faith?"
"The apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you" (Luke 17:5-6).
Note the deemphasis on the measure of faith expressed by the Lord Jesus Christ in response to the apostle's request. As was frequently the case when people made inquiry of Him about matters, the Savior answered by revealing the faulty nature of their questions. Clearly, if the smallest measure of faith can result in the uprooting and casting away of tall trees, the amount of faith we possess and express must not be the primary issue in how we relate to God and His working in our lives. What then is the crux of the matter?
The aforementioned tree answers the question. When a believer trusts God to work and He answers, the magnitude of the power revealed is not our faith, but rather His faithfulness. The prophet Jeremiah provides illumination:
"Call unto Me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3).
Which is greater? "Call unto Me?" Or, "I will answer thee?" By an infinite measure, God's response transcends our request. The quietest, briefest prayer of a human may result in the mightiest, most significant act of the Divine. Our faith certainly plays a role in the Lord's working. It is always small, however, in comparison to His grace faithfully displayed. Thus, our need involves real faith rather than more faith. We need the faith that "cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Who is God regarding the matters of life? What has He promised to do about them? If we can find the Bible's answers to these questions, we will be prepared to trust Him in a way that may seem tiny, but which nevertheless leads to "great and mighty things."
We grow in faith not so much by growing in faith. Instead, we trust God more effectually by growing in the knowledge of His faithfulness. The Lord Jesus made plain to His disciples that we do need a measure of faith. He once chided them for their "little faith" (Matthew 8:26). However, a tiny seed of trust is enough when planted in the mighty heart and hand of God. Our need actually involves a great measure of realizing God's faithfulness. We trust someone to the degree we know them. Thus, an open Bible and prayers such as Moses prayed - "Show me Thy glory" - prepare us to possess and plant the tiny seeds through which God performs powerful works for the glory of the Lord Jesus and our eternal benefit.
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
(Romans 12:3)
"There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?… And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. (John 6:9; 11)
Weekly Memory Verse
This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us.
(I John 5:14)
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