Ye of Little Faith
Mark 11:22-24
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
At times in my life, I often wonder if my faith is sufficient. Doubts cannot be good, right? Why do I doubt? When pondering these concerns, how can I be assured of what the future holds? In the scripture above, Jesus tells us to have faith in God and if you truly believe you will receive whatever you ask in prayer. However, it doesn’t tell you when you will receive it, just that if you truly believe with all your heart, it will be done.
Faith is the assurance of things that are not visible, a future incident or action that will happen. We need to remind ourselves of what it takes to have faith. This faith is not merely a passive belief but an active trust in God’s ability to respond to our prayers. We can look toward Abraham to see an example of what it truly takes to have faith. Abraham was willing to take his son up to the mountains, picked up firewood and knife, walked with his son for three days up a mountain, knowing he was to sacrifice his son as an offering to God. He believed so much in God’s goodness and power that without question, he proceeded in the quest. Can you imagine the anguish as they travel for three days to get to the top of Mount Moriah? Can you imagine the thoughts of Issac as he begins to question his father’s reasoning and asks about the missing lamb and how his father answers? Upon reaching the altar, Abraham begins to bind Isaac; what was said in those moments? How did Isaac just accept the duty to be the lamb? It is only when Abraham raises the knife to begin, that an angel stops the process. What a powerful image of unfailing faith!
How did Abraham have such faith? To look at other passages in the Bible we are told a couple of things about gaining faith:
*Faith was given to us by God himself. The creator granted us the ability to reason, seek out and discover, trust and believe. Without brains we would lack the capability to understand and reach for faith. No other creation on earth has this kind of capacity to reason life.
*Faith requires belief in the righteousness of God. Believing He is true to his word and acts in our best interests. God loves His creation, desires to be with and part of our lives and therefore, encourages us to hope for the future outcome. He gives us the Word as proof that He says what he means, over and over. Even when we continue to drive the wrong path, He encourages us to return to His ways.
*Faith grows by learning about the Word, then acting on that faith. Faith without action is not faith at all. If we do not believe, then it will not happen. God gives us hope with the salvation He offered us through His son Jesus; so that Jesus could teach us how we should proceed through life in order that things will be made right. Our sin will in the end be absolved and we will be made anew in heaven.
Prayer: God, help us to be faithful in studying the Word and actively following Jesus’ examples. Gaining faith doesn’t happen overnight, it must be practiced and honed. Help us practice, practice, practice until perfected. When we feel like our faith is dimming, then we pray and ask you for help to dig a bit deeper into the Bible, so that firm grounding reoccurs in our hearts. God, you said, ask and you shall receive. Give us courage to have a bit of faith! Amen.
Karen Horton
