Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed
“He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.’”
Matthew 17:20
Matthew 17:20
Jesus is asked a question here that most of us have asked at some point: Why? Why have my children run from You? Why can’t I be healed? Why didn’t this prayer get answered?
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells His disciples they failed because of their little faith, and then immediately states that faith as small as a mustard seed is sufficient. At first glance, that sounds contradictory. If the problem was little faith, why is the solution small faith?
Jesus wasn’t trying to confuse His disciples; He is redefining what genuine faith looks like. The issue wasn’t the amount of faith they had, but the object of their faith. Their trust was still mixed with self-reliance, technique, and effort. They were trying to do God’s work with their own strength.
Mustard-seed faith isn’t impressive faith. It’s dependent faith. It’s the kind of faith that doesn’t trust itself, but fully relies on the power of God. Even faith that feels weak, uncertain, or fragile becomes powerful when it is placed in the Lord’s hands.
Jesus isn’t intimidated by our questions, our doubts, or our “why.” He invites us to bring them to Him, not with polished confidence, but with honest dependence. Faith doesn’t move mountains because it is big; faith moves mountains because God is. And when we come to Him, trusting that He can do what we cannot, even small faith is more than enough.
Prayer: Thank God that even small faith can lead to great things.
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells His disciples they failed because of their little faith, and then immediately states that faith as small as a mustard seed is sufficient. At first glance, that sounds contradictory. If the problem was little faith, why is the solution small faith?
Jesus wasn’t trying to confuse His disciples; He is redefining what genuine faith looks like. The issue wasn’t the amount of faith they had, but the object of their faith. Their trust was still mixed with self-reliance, technique, and effort. They were trying to do God’s work with their own strength.
Mustard-seed faith isn’t impressive faith. It’s dependent faith. It’s the kind of faith that doesn’t trust itself, but fully relies on the power of God. Even faith that feels weak, uncertain, or fragile becomes powerful when it is placed in the Lord’s hands.
Jesus isn’t intimidated by our questions, our doubts, or our “why.” He invites us to bring them to Him, not with polished confidence, but with honest dependence. Faith doesn’t move mountains because it is big; faith moves mountains because God is. And when we come to Him, trusting that He can do what we cannot, even small faith is more than enough.
Prayer: Thank God that even small faith can lead to great things.
Posted in 40 Days of Prayer