Gigantic Mustard Seed Faith

Are you a Mountain Mover?

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In Matthew 17:20, Jesus says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, (which is one of the smallest seeds of all), we can move mountains.

Well, so far, I haven't been able to cast a mountain into the sea, so it makes me wonder just how small my faith is. That can really bum me out until I remember that the focus is not my faith, but the faith I have in the One to whom I pray.  Do I believe that God is able to do great things? To move impossible mountains in my life?

Our prayers often reflect the size of our faith. I heard a quote recently that made me think about the way I pray...

We should be storming heaven with prayers asking God for the impossible, not the mundane! ~Oscar Muriu 

...and I heard another guy say we should be praying...

Big hairy audacious prayers!

Why don't we pray for things that seem beyond reach? Things that seem impossible? Miracles?

Maybe it's because we're afraid that if we do and it doesn't happen, it will shake our faith in God.  Remember, we're praying and asking God to answer our prayers and sometimes (for our own sake or for His own purposes), he says "No" to our prayer.  That's okay.  We ultimately want his will, not our own.

So, why bother to ask for the miracle?  Because the answer might just be YES, but if we never have the courage to ask, we may never see His miracle-working power.

It reminds me of a story I heard about a man who went to Heaven and while Jesus was giving him a tour, He opened the door to a room stacked high with beautifully wrapped gifts of every size.  When he asked Jesus what they were, He answered, "Gifts waiting to be prayed for."

I don't know about you, but I want everything God wants to give me...and NOTHING that He doesn't want me to have.  So, I'll pray for those things that I believe to be within His will, like healing miracles, financial miracles and salvation of those I love who seem so very far from ever wanting to come to God, the salvation of my city or - and here's a biggie - godly government officials who make decisions based on what's right, not what's beneficial to them - because I believe in miracles and because I'm okay with God saying no.  I know that He will only do what's best, so that might mean I don't get what I think is best, but I will not limit him by being afraid to ask for the big stuff.

How about you? Do you pray mundane, anemic, namby-pamby prayers or do you really connect with God and seek him for depth and width and length and heighth - for the things that are beyond what you could do for yourself.  Do you ask for those things your heart longs for? Are you afraid to ask for those things because you're afraid he might say no?

What if He says YES!

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Love - I just don't get it

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19

I watched a sermon, based on this passage in Ephesians, called Falling Madly in Love with God this morning and I'm still teary-eyed.  

image by Zela, rgbstock.com

Here, the Apostle Paul's greatest desire is that we would grasp (fully understand) how completely we are loved by Christ, so that we might be filled (saturated) with the fullness of God. That we are strengthened in our inner being (way down deep in their soul)  and he (Paul) was willing to kneel before the Father and implore Him to grant us this understanding.

Why?

Because he knew that if we ever truly grasp how much the Lord loves us - if we could really "get it" so completely that it goes down into our inner man, we would stand so strong in God's love, that nothing could shake us.  We would not doubt His love for us. We would fall so madly in love with God that we couldn't help but share this Good News with everyone we meet.

But, do we get it?  Do we really understand the width and the length and the height and the depth of His love for us? I don't.  How's that for honest? I just don't get it. Maybe I don't understand what true love is because I've never felt truly loved. That's an awful thing to say, considering I have family and a husband that love me and people that I love, but human love is flawed. It wanes when someone is ticked at you and sometimes the person who promised to love you "til death us do part" stopped loving you. Then there's those who love you as long as you're providing what they need out of the friendship, but when they no longer need you or you can no longer provide - they fade into the background.

It's no wonder we don't really understand the depth of God's love for us. The only thing we have to compare it to is faulty human love.

The only way we can comprehend God's great love for us is to pray that He will give us the ability to understand it. Paul knew that prayer was the answer.  He understood that no matter how many times he tried to explain it or how eloquently he preached it, the full understanding of God's love can only come when God fills our hearts with that knowledge, so he was willing to get on his knees and ask God to help us to grasp the fulness of His love.

So, I spend some time in prayer this morning, asking God to help me to fully understand His love and I prayed for those closest to me, too, because if we ever really got it, we would be powerhouses of faith - unstoppable in sharing the gospel, in loving others, in making a difference every day of our lives. Sin would loose it's persuasion and holiness would be our main pursuit, and I want that for every Believer.

Oh, God - please help us to understand just how much you love us!  Implant our hearts deeply with the knowledge of who you are and greatly we are loved. Make us stand sure in the power of that love, so that we might be a mighty force for you, here on Earth - reaching, loving, sharing YOU with others. Amen



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