This sign hangs by our dining table. I see it everyday, but this week it has been stirring within me. What does it mean to have enough faith?
I hear statements such as, “pray harder,” “you didn’t pray hard enough,” “you need to have enough faith,” etc. These are often said by well-meaning people who don’t know what else to say, but they always make me cringe. We hear these phrases when we don’t get the miracle we are praying God will bring us.
I, recently, watched a dear young couple lose their daughter pre-term. My heart broke for them. I found myself asking a question I ask a lot, “Why God?” While I don’t have the answer to why, I do know that God didn’t do this to them. It didn’t happen because they didn’t have enough faith or pray hard enough.
20 “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy- seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” (Matthew 17:20 MSG).
I will always want to ask God, “Why?” It doesn’t mean I didn’t pray enough or have enough faith. Don’t get me wrong faith and prayer matter. Prayer makes a difference. It’s how we communicate with God an important aspect of our relationship. God cares deeply about what is on our hearts. But, the reason I didn’t get the miracle I prayed like crazy for is not because I didn’t have enough faith.
It is about having faith even the faith of a small seed. It is about growing in our relationship with God in the midst of difficult circumstances that we don’t fully understand. God loves each of equally whether our faith is a seed or a mighty oak.
As hard as it is to understand why these things happen, I still choose faith. Faith makes things possible not easy.
If you wrestle with this as I do, here is my prayer.
I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. (Philemon 1:6 NIV).
When do you ask why? Do you feel like you don’t have enough faith? How has God encouraged your faith? Share your experiences here and breathe life and bring hope to others.