“Because of the littleness of your faith” Matthew 17:20
Have you ever wondered why you don’t have more strength or power in your spiritual life? Jesus’ disciples certainly did. After they failed to deliver a boy from demon possession they asked Jesus, “Why could we not drive it out?” (Matthew 17:19). The problem He pointed out is still an issue today—not enough faith. So how do we overcome the littleness of our faith? And how much faith do we need?
Well, Jesus went on to say, “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” (v20). Why do we give more attention to the size of our mountains than to the size of our faith? The obvious answer is that we focus on the challenge instead of on Jesus. But the more we fixate on Him, the less we’ll fixate on the situation.
That’s why Jesus linked the littleness of our faith with a lack of prayer (v21). We often worry about the problem more than we pray about it. We make excuses about why the mountain can’t be moved; which says much more about us than about the challenge we’re facing. Our focus tends to be on solving the problem—getting around it, over it, or through it. We expend way too much time and effort trying to navigate mountains that God could move if we would just take it to Him in sincere faith.
But we also need to recognize when the mountain in our way has been built by our own hands. Yes, our flesh is the ultimate mountain maker. Anything we allow to rise up against godly knowledge and wisdom in our lives, permits mountains to grow. Until you release your claim to the mountain you’ve built…it’s not going anywhere.
Knowing all this, how can we remain satisfied with the littleness of our faith? If you’ve wondered, “Why can’t I…?” then take an honest look at your faith, your focus, and your prayer life. Don’t let your own thoughts or the opinions of others convince you to cope with the mountain. Focus, instead, on Jesus and how He can move it!