Having Faith as a Grain of Mustard Seed

The faith of a mustard seed…

We’ve all heard the parable before.

Some of us came across that passage in the Bible, read over it, and kept going.

Most of us heard about the parable from pastors, parents, grandparents, friends, other family members, and maybe even coworkers.

Or maybe we’ve even had some kind of combination of both, lol.

Then the information we were told from whoever was just taken as whatever it was to us at that time and that was it.

As I read it, I thought to myself what most people think, ‘Well, it’s a seed, a mustard seed at that, and it’s tiny, so I KNOW that I have at least that much faith.’

BUT, then I began to think about it for a minute.

Many times in our daily lives, as soon as something we consider “bad” happens, we immediately start to doubt, worry, get anxious, think the worst possible things, and allow ourselves to be tossed to and fro by every little thing.

Then I remembered reading about different things that people witnessed and went through in the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Some of these people were in dire situations. We saw their trials and circumstances, but then we saw their endurance, steadfastness, and their willingness to choose to have faith and to choose to TRUST in God in the midst of it all.

Thinking about those things, I thought, ‘How can I get that kind of faith? Is it something that I’m not doing, getting, or understanding?’

So, I asked the Lord for some understanding and just followed His lead.

There were two questions that I had: 

• Why should we have the faith of an actual mustard seed (Matthew 17:20 KJV)? 
• Why was the kingdom of heaven compared to the grain of a mustard seed that has been sown (Matthew 13:31-32 KJV)?
  

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Where did the second question come from?

Well, the second question came because when it came to mustard seeds and the Bible, this was the next parable that came to my head when I was thinking about it (even though there are other parables in the Bible that refer to the grain of a mustard seed).

So, the first thing I did was research what exactly is a mustard seed. I’d never seen one for myself before, and like many others, I’d been told by somebody that it was tiny. And with it being a seed, it wasn’t hard to believe.

(However, I did get a chance to see just how tiny those seeds were. I went to the grocery store one day, and while looking for Tony Chachere's seasoning, I came across actual mustard seeds.)

While it is a really tiny seed, I learned some other characteristics about this plant in my research that caught my attention too.

[This isn’t my method for studying the word all the time. Google does not have all the answers contrary to popular belief. Studying the word of God can be different for each person. You have to go to where the Holy Spirit is leading you because ultimately only God can give you the wisdom, knowledge, revelation, discernment, and understanding that you’ll need in your studies. Now back to the blog :)]

Just that alone gave me the answer to both of those questions that I had.

Which also, for me, brings even more context and gives an even clearer visual for Mark 4:30-32 KJV. It states, “And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.” (Which has me turnt up at this point! That’s exciting to think about how that came together!)

Now (going back to the research), I don’t know about you, but when I hear hot and sandy conditions, I think of the desert and the uncomfortableness that it would be (for me). And the desert to me seems like harsh conditions instead of the ideal one.

The conditions that the mustard seed plants thrive in are similar to some of our experiences of our walk with the LORD. We encounter all kinds of spiritual warfare, circumstances, problems, and obstacles that are unique to us that seem unbearable and exhausting and can be described as harsh conditions.

When we push through to connect to our source of life so that, through the power of the Holy Ghost, we can recall the word of God and where it states that the LORD will never ever give us more than we can handle and always gives us a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13), we are able to stand firm in him, trust in him, and build our faith in him. Making our faith more durable and not just this finicky thing that comes and goes dependent on our emotions or when circumstances change.

We grow deeper roots in our walk with God when we act like the mustard seed plant and search for our living water no matter what. We can stand steadfast on the foundation that was built for us through Jesus Christ! When we stay strong in the truth and focus on our Father, we blossom exactly like the mustard seed plant, but just like the mustard seed plant, we can only grow in proportion to how much water we seek.

That’s when we must question ourselves,

Are we seeking the LORD wholeheartedly? Are we seeking his face like our lives depend on it?

Whether we like to admit it or not, there are times that we do lean on our own understanding (and sometimes others) by default instead of leaning on God and flowing with Him.

We must put in the effort to collaborate, to work with God in order for us to grow deeper in our faith. Be confident in knowing that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

So, if we want to thrive, to continue to move forward, to do what we were created to do, we must remain focused on the One who created us and hold fast onto the things that we know,

that we know,

that we know,

that we know.

Which is that the word of God is God, the word is TRUTH (and cannot be changed), the word NEVER returns void, and that the Lord watches over His word to perform!!!

The scripture states in Matthew 17:20 KJV, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

So not necessarily focusing on having the amount of faith as the size of the mustard seed but instead understanding that even though many of us start off as that tiny mustard seed with only a little, we don’t want to remain there, we want to grow continuously, firmly, and steadily in Him.

Rely on that firm foundation in Christ, allowing those roots to grow deeper and deeper as we continuously seek. He draws close to us when we draw close to Him!

Become that strong tree that remains standing after the storm is over.