The Faith of a Mustard Seed?

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image by Avesh Kumar on Unsplash
There are over 650 prayers in the Bible, and Scripture records 26 prayers of Jesus. Christians are told to pray, and we do! Some of us are better at it than others. (This is not a boast–it’s more of a confession that I could do better.)
We are told that God answers prayers, and He does! He answers all prayers in His own perfect time. The answers may not be what we wanted or expected, and we may not realize until much later that our prayers were indeed answered.
Here are some of the most well-known Scriptures about prayer:
Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Colossians 4:2 – Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you
Now, let’s get to the “faith of a mustard seed” part of this article.
So, if we pray, with faith, why doesn’t God answer our prayers the way we want Him to? Thousands of faith experts have weighed in on the subject, and today I’m going to ignore all of their commentary and tell you about an epiphany that I had this week. 
Although prayer and faith are intrinsically intertwined, my “aha moment” has more to do with faith than with prayer. In Luke 17:6, Jesus tells His disciples, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” 
Well, Lord, I have faith. Every Sunday, I recite the Apostles’ Creed, and I mean it. I pray, and as much as is possible for me, my prayers are sincere. I pray for peace. For healing. For comfort. For wisdom. For strength. For our country.
And every day, I see a world with no peace. I learn of a friend who has not been healed or comforted. I’m often lacking both wisdom and strength. And as for our country? Let’s just say that there’s evil being done on all fronts. 
To conclude, here’s my epiphany, and this is not really a proud moment. While I have complete faith that God is able to answer my prayers, I’m not always confident that He will answer them. I need a bigger mustard seed.

Lord, please forgive me. Amen.

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24

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2 thoughts on “The Faith of a Mustard Seed?”

  1. Thanks Teresa. The Lord hears our prayers, and answers them in both His way and on His schedule. As a fallible human, at times that frustrates me. Thanks for todays article, best to you and the fine staff @ AFNN🙏🇺🇸

  2. Teresa, I am just as puzzled as you, about how my prayers are, or will be answered. I just keep praying. I grab my Anglican priest, who I have become very comfortable with, talking about this subject almost every week, over coffee.
    He straightens out a lot of my confusion. Not all, but quite a lot. It’s ongoing. Just saying, because it helps me.
    Even though my garden has no mustard seeds planted, I believe after looking at my garden, He blesses me, there, because my garden is looking like someone else’s garden. Maybe it is His garden? That, alone, is a blessing.

    We are going through difficult times, no doubt. We were told we would be facing difficult times. What keeps my faith, most of all, is everything that the Bible told us would happen, has or is happening. That, alone, humbles me, and that is what I think is most important. Almost every morning, I thank Him for the beginning of a new day, whether it rains or shines, because if I hadn’t, He might not have been glorified by me, enough.

    I can tell by reading your articles that you are doing fine. No one improves unless they are asking questions. God bless you.

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