"Mustard seed Faith"

Hebrews 11:11

Do you recall the TV advertisement, it went something like this; “When E F Hutton talks, people listen?”  The purpose of the advertisement was to imply that when they spoke it was life changing; they had the key to your success.  It was a good ad, but it was just that, an advertisement, but when Jesus speaks it is life changing, if we only have “Mustard seed faith.”  On two occasions Jesus addressed “Mustard seed faith,” one is found in Matthew 17:21 and the other time was in Luke 17:6.  Picking-up the story in verse five, “The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith!”  “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.”  Now there lies the problem, everyone knows it is impossible to plant a tree in the sea, so we just dismiss it, much like I dismissed the E F Hutton advertisement.  Could it be that we do not live our life on the fact “that Jesus tells the truth”?  Could it be that we do not believe that our Lord keeps His promises, that He is faithful, that He is God of the impossible?  How do you define faith; Hebrews 11:1, states; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Or as my friend Carroll often said, “It is acting like Jesus, tells the truth.”

Sarah had “mustard seed faith” in a God who keeps His promises.  Stop for a moment, look at the facts, Abraham is 100 years of age and his wife Sarah is 90 years of age, do the math, it is totally impossible for her to conceive.  Sure, we read the Bible, and we know the story of Isaac, but the rest of the story is that both Abraham and Sarah try to help God fulfill the promise of a son.  If we look at Genesis 17:18-19, “And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”  God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac.”  Now they have a crisis of faith, for so many years they have hoped for a son, now they have to believe, they have to have “mustard seed faith” in the impossible.

Hebrews 11:11, gives this account of Sarah’s “mustard seed faith,” “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.”  Dear Father, will you give each of us who desires fellowship with your Son, the “Mustard seed faith” that our Lord has told us about.

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice