The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
- Luke 17:5-6
You may recall Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13:31-32 where Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Something so small grows to be so great in the hands of God. Another Bible version I use translates our reading for today to, “If you had faith like a mustard seed…” A thought I had was that a mustard seed is incapable of getting in the way of what God has intended for it to do. Because of this, such great things come from something so small.
All of us have the faith of a mustard seed. I wouldn’t have volunteered to write this meditation and you wouldn’t be reading it if we didn’t. Speaking for myself, how might my faith increase if I didn’t get in the way of simply growing into all that God has intended for me? There are so many things in our lives that distract us and hinder this simplicity of faith. This causes me to echo the apostles’ plea; Lord, increase my faith!
Musical Reflection Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Mozart
When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Amen. - Psalm 94:18-19
