Jesus points out how something as small as a mustard seed can still be real faith—living, potent, and aimed at a great God. The comfort is not that we can manufacture heroic belief, but that even weak, trembling trust in Him is enough to move us from stuck to obedient.

Faith’s Power Comes from Its Object

We tend to measure faith like a fuel gauge: “Do I have enough?” Jesus redirects the question: “Do you have Me?” A mustard seed doesn’t impress anyone, but it’s alive—and when it’s planted, it grows. What looks tiny in your hands is not tiny in His. “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

That’s why the honest prayer matters. A desperate father once cried, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). That is not polished faith; it’s dependent faith. And dependent faith rests on the character of God, not the strength of our emotions. “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

Faith Speaks Because God Has Spoken

Jesus describes faith that dares to speak to the impossible—not as a magic trick, but as trust that takes God at His word. Faith isn’t passive optimism; it’s a response to God’s authority. “Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). When God has spoken, faith can speak too.

But notice the direction: faith speaks under God, not over Him. We don’t command reality to serve our desires; we submit our desires to the Lord and then act with courage. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God… But let him ask in faith, without doubting” (James 1:5–6). Sometimes the “tree” is fear, bitterness, or a habit that’s dug in deep—and faith says, “Jesus is Lord here too.”

Plant the Seed Where It Can Grow

Mustard-seed faith grows best in the soil of abiding. Jesus said, “Remain in Me… For apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). If you feel small today, don’t panic—stay close. Open the Word, bring the real you in prayer, and take the next obedient step, even if it feels unimpressive.

And remember: God loves to work through what looks weak. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of Hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). One quiet act of obedience, one forgiven offense, one resisted temptation, one shared gospel conversation—these are mustard-seed moves that the Spirit can grow into something far bigger than you imagined.

Father, thank You for being strong when my faith feels small. Help me trust Your Word today and take the next obedient step with courage, for Jesus’ glory. Amen.

Some of the purest souls have written of the dangers of continuous spiritual exercises uninterrupted by lowlier considerations. Von Hugel speaks of the "neutral cost" of prayer and advises that we should sometimes break off thoughts of heavenly things and go for a walk or dig in the garden. We have all known the disappointment felt when returning to a passage of Scripture that had been so fresh and fragrant the day before only to find the sweetness gone out of it. It is the Spirit's way of urging us on to new vistas. I notice that in the wilderness God kept Israel moving. One may wonder what would have happened if they had camped in one place for forty years. The lives of the great Christians show that they differed not only from each other but from themselves at different periods of their lives. Spiritual exercises that helped them at one stage of their development later became useless and had to be changed for others.

But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall be given over to the power of the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God: every one that sweareth by Him shall glory: for the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. - Psalm 63:9-11

This last portion of the psalm describes one consequence of pressing after God. The soul thus cleaving and following is gifted with a prophetic certainty. " Those that seek my soul are destined for destruction" (so is the probable rendering); "they shall go into the lower parts of the earth " - swallowed up like Korah and his rebellious company. "They shall each be given up to the power of the sword" (as the words might be rendered); "they shall be a portion for foxes" (or jackals as the word means). Their unburied bodies shall lie in the wilderness, and the jackals shall tear and devour. David regarded his enemies as God’s enemies. David’s point of view permitted him to exult with a stern but not unrighteous joy in their destruction. But these words are not prayer nor imprecation, but prophecy and the insight of a soul conscious of union with God, and therefore assured that everything which stands in the way of its possession of the God whom it loves is destined for annihilation.

And, disengaging the words from the mere husk and shell of Old Testament experience, all of us, if we cleave to God, may have this confidence, that nothing can hinder our fellowship with God, and that whatsoever stands in the way of our closer union with Him shall be swept out of the way. David’s certainty of the destruction of his foes is the same triumphant assurance, on a lower spiritual level, as Paul’s trumpet blast of victory: " Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" "Nay, in all these things," - and overall these things, - "we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

There is the other side of this prophetic certainty here. "The King shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by Him shall glory." He and his faithful followers shall realise a Divine deliverance, which shall be the subject of their praise; and the adversary’s lips shall be sealed with silence, their vindication shall stick in their throat, and they shall be dumb before the judgment of Almighty God. That confidence, too, may stand as a symbol of the certainty of hope which refreshes the soul which seeks and possesses God, even in the wilderness, and while compassed with sorrows and fears. We, too, may find in our present union with God a prophecy, fixed and firm as the pillars of His throne, of our future kingly dignity, and rapturous joy in Him. It is reserved not for us only, but for all whose lips confessed Him on earth and shall therefore be opened to lift up before Him triumphant praise, which shall drown the discords of opposing voices, and no more be broken by sobs or weeping.

My brother! we are all thirsty. Do you know what it is that makes you restless? Do you know who it is that you need? Listen to Him that says, "If any man thirst, let Him come to Me, and drink." Choose whether you will thirst with mad and aimless cravings, and perish in a dry land; or whether you will come to the " Fountain of Life in Christ your Saviour, and slake your thirst at God Himself."