But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11.6
God has given us all a measure of faith and as we walk with him and feed on his word, our faith can grow. Our faith is a reflection of what we believe about God. The opposite of faith is not fear but certainty. When God isn’t our last hope but our only hope, our faith will rest absolutely in Him. Throughout the gospels, Jesus describes four levels of faith – faithless or no faith, little faith, faith as small as a mustard seed, and great faith. Each category has similar features and maybe we could identify ourselves and what Jesus’ assessment of our faith might be.
Faithless/No faith. Faith is a gift we receive from God. We may be surprised by people who do not believe in God but we must realise that they have not yet received the gift of faith to believe. As we share the gospel, let’s continue to pray that God will grant our listeners faith to believe in him. I suggest a difference between those who are faithless and those who have no faith. Unlike those who have never put their trust in the Lord, those who Jesus refers to as having no faith once believed in him but the trials and troubles of life shook the foundation of their faith in God and they lost their faith.
Those who had no faith (Mark 4.40) had become overwhelmed with fear. Faith and fear cannot share the same space, we are either full of faith or full of fear. We may alternate between both extremes but our walk with God will be determined largely by our faith in him. Fear is a spirit that aims to rob us of our faith in God. At every point in time, we are either starving our faith or feeding our fears. Faith comes by hearing and a continued hearing of God’s word. When we have become overwhelmed with fear, it might be an indication that we need to spend more time in God’s word and linger in his presence.
Little faith – is an indication of the deterioration of the level of faith we have in God. When something is little, it represents an inadequate quantity or insufficient for the purpose at hand. On one occasion Jesus had asked Peter to step out of the boat and after he took a few steps he began to sink as he looked around (Matthew 14.31). How can the One who asked you to take the first step abandon you after you’ve obeyed? After Jesus fed the multitude and left baskets of fish and bread behind, the disciples began to worry as they took none away (Matthew 16.8). Would the One who multiplied five loaves and two fish leave them to die of hunger?
The disciples had some faith but at this point, it was lacking in power and authority for the challenge they were faced with. Some faith in one season of our lives can quickly become inadequate as God takes us to and through uncharted territories. It’s easy to have so much faith when in an environment with others who profess to have faith or while in our Sunday best at a church service, but will we still trust in God through the highs and lows when we are on our own faced with what seems bigger than we can cope with? When we take our eyes off the Lord and begin to put our trust in people, we will lose our faith.
Once, while Jesus slept on a boat during a storm, the disciples feared for their lives as they woke Jesus who rebuked the winds and waves but addressed their little faith (Matthew 8.26). They were so near to the Author and Finisher of their faith but yet so far. We might be able to recite the Bible from cover to cover or have theology degrees from reputable colleges but still be lacking in the ability to trust God completely. The disciples had seen Jesus raise the dead, open blind eyes and feed thousands but they assumed it must be strange that Jesus would sleep peacefully in a storm. Even though they walked with Jesus for nearly three years, many of the disciples only fully believed in Him only after He was raised from the dead.
Faith as small as a mustard seed – I’m sure you may have heard that the mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds, Jesus isn’t asking us to have such massive faith but just enough to believe that God exists and He rewards those who diligently seek Him – (Hebrews 11.6). A number of times Jesus said this statement to those he had healed ‘your faith has made you whole’. These people may have been surprised to hear that. One common thread in all these instances was that they did something as they trusted God to heal them. The just shall live by faith (Hebrews 10.38). Our walk with God began with faith, it will continue by faith and end with faith.
The woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8.48) didn’t stay at home waiting for Jesus to come to her house, she got dressed and walked all the way to the city where Jesus was, in her pain, with her fears, worried about what people would say, she didn’t even want Jesus to see her but she trusted that there was power available for her healing even in the hem of his garment. Blind Bartimaeus has never seen Jesus but listened intently as the crowd walked by talking about Jesus and he began to cry out for mercy and kept shouting even when others asked him to be quiet (Mark 10.52) When your situation gets desperate, there’s no time to speak the queen’s English or keep your decorum, you cry out for mercy as Jesus is your only hope.
How about the four friends who brought their friend down through a roof so Jesus could heal him (Luke 5.20). They had to carry him all the way, spent so much time and effort taking out the tiles in the roof, they refused to wait outside and were desperate. All these people had never met or seen Jesus, but their faith was stirred by what they had heard about Jesus. What have we heard about Jesus, His power and authority? We have heard that He is still the One who does great wonders, He is the Helper of the helpless, the Defender of the defenseless, my Tear wiper, and the Lifter of the lowly, He is still the Mighty God.
Today, let’s take that step of faith because faith without works is dead. Our faith is not in our works but in a great God and it will oscillate as the man who cried out: Lord I believe, help my unbelief (Mark 9.24). Even with gloomy circumstances, we refuse to believe the lies of the enemy but put our trust in the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Like the disciples, we pray, Lord, increase our faith (Luke 17.5). If our faith will be stretched and strengthened, we must refuse to hang out with ‘fearful’ people who want to analyse everything before they step out.
Great Faith – two people are credited with having great faith in the gospels. First, the centurion whose servant was sick (Matthew 8.10), who asked Jesus not to come to his house to lay his hands on his servant but instead speak the word from wherever he was trusting that his servant would be made whole. This centurion has never seen or met Jesus but only believed what he had heard about Jesus. Would you put your faith in a stranger to heal you? While the crowd in their distress continued to follow Jesus, someone many miles away was being healed. The centurion wasn’t asking Jesus to heal him but his servant. Many times, we hope our faith will save us from our fears and problems but how often do we trust God to intervene on behalf of others?
When the centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant, Jesus agrees to go to his house, but the centurion tells Jesus not to bother. Jesus was impressed that this centurion acknowledged his ultimate authority over diseases and demons in addition to having the power to speak life from whichever location. Our faith isn’t synonymous with our church attendance, many have neither attended several church events nor listened to several sermons but might have more faith than those who have. What are we doing with the ‘word’ we have received?
The second example of someone with a great faith was a woman from Canaan whose daughter was demon-possessed. (Matthew 15.28). When she cried out to Jesus, he stays silent and doesn’t say a word. She continues to beg for mercy and Jesus reminds her that he has been sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she begins to worship him. Jesus refers to gentiles as ‘ dogs’ and says they can’t get what’s meant for the children. She remains persistent in asking even for the crumbs. Jesus refers to her faith as great and instantly her daughter was made whole.
Who taught this non-Jewish woman to wait on the Lord? When our situation gets desperate, we are often left with no choice than hold on to God. Do I interpret God’s silence as His inactivity? Will I keep crying out to God even when I can’t see the answer? She didn’t even allow the disciples to deter her from waiting on Jesus for her miracle. When everyone is exploring an alternative or encouraging us to consider a plan B, will we hold on to our faith in God? It’s easy to praise and worship God when our prayers have been answered but will we still worship God even while we’re waiting?
Lord I believe, help my unbelief. Amen