Photo of 21 Days of Prayer, Devotion 15, Luke 17

Do you ever wonder if you have enough faith? Or wish you had a little more? A little more belief that everything is going to be okay? A little more trust that God is in control of this world. We have to have faith! But if you’ve ever wished you had a little more, you are certainly not alone.

Luke 17 begins with Jesus’ apostles asking for more faith. Even they struggled with believing in and trusting God and their leader, Jesus. They had left everything to follow Jesus, but His recent teachings have been challenging. For example, stumbling is bound to come; forgive up to seven times daily, and more!

No wonder Jesus’ apostles cried, “Increase our faith.” Hearing their honest request should comfort us. But this may raise another question: “How much faith is enough?” The apostles need more faith to face the challenges Jesus places before them. If they are going to do everything He asks, they will need more faith. At least, that’s what they believe! But that turns out not to be true. They don’t need more faith.

Jesus responds with a well-known statement: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you have more than enough faith. The mustard seed is the smallest seed the disciples knew about, and Jesus says that’s more than enough.

Faith the size of a mustard seed is plenty, Jesus says. Why? Because it’s not a question of how much faith we have – it’s a question of who we put our faith in.

“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness, and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.” – Anne Lamott

Our assignment is to notice the mess and wait for the light. We are to trust Him even when things seem very dark. We are to hold on to our mustard seed-sized faith and trust that it is enough—not because of our faith but because of Whom we are placing it in.

Prayer Prompts:

  • Ask God to grow your faith
  • Trust Him one step at a time
  • Seek Him through His Word, His church, and other believers