Ministry
Ministry Message
Expressing our faith
Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
God seems to enjoy a challenge. Time and again throughout the Bible, God’s people appear beyond hope and facing certain destruction, only to be saved by God’s gracious intervention. Daniel in the lion’s den is a famous example, an event which served to bring glory to God among people who didn’t yet know him. The parting of the Red Sea as the Israelites fled the pursuing Egyptians is another well-known story of God not only defying the odds, but also the laws of gravity. In performing his many miracles, Jesus brought the dead back to life, turned water into wine, healed the sick, walked on water, and fed thousands with only a few pieces of fish and bread, just to name a few things that defy explanation. Jesus himself had been born to a virgin – again, not something that can be done without medical intervention – and would also be raised from the dead three days after dying on the cross. Scripture makes it clear: God can do – and does do – the miraculous.
Considering God’s power and his propensity to help his people when they are facing great difficulty, you would think we would be confident and persistent with our prayers. But is this the case? I certainly find it easy to give up on things in prayer, instead choosing to rationalise that the current situation that I have been praying about (and from which I have seen no change) must be as God wants it. To be sure, sometimes that is actually true. God might choose not to heal someone who is sick, or might decide not to miraculously change someone’s personal circumstances, maybe because God is working on a slower and more profound inner transformation for that person. However, our rational, scientific and somewhat sceptical tendencies can so easily convince us that prayer is futile, that God has already made up his mind, and that this situation isn’t worth our energy anymore. We might know that God can do the impossible but we’re not so sure that he will do the impossible, especially for us. Those things only happen to other people, or to people whose stories have been recorded in the Bible. When it comes to our lives, we can easily get the feeling that things are not going to change, so we might as well just give up.
However, when Jesus speaks of faith that is the size of a mustard seed, something within me comes to life. I don’t have big faith to boast about, but maybe I do have faith the size of a mustard seed. And faith that is this small looks to something bigger than itself; it looks to God. It is therefore a perfect expression of faith to seek God in prayer and to put to him the things that seem so impossible: that an obstinate, mean-spirited person might actually have their hearts softened; that a long-term conflict between friends or family might come to an end; that a destructive bad habit might finally be broken; that a shattered dream might be replaced with a better one.
I am sure we all have things that we have given up on because we think they are finished, or impossible, or not worth our energy anymore. Maybe this is true, and we can pray to God about how we are to proceed from here. However, maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to turn to this rational interpretation of events and instead, with faith the size of a mustard seed, speak to God about the possibility of him revealing his power. After all, he has done it before. Why not again now? Is the real barrier the impossibility of the thing we’re asking for, or our lack of faith in God’s ability to do it?
To commit the impossible to God in prayer is a fantastic expression of our faith. And maybe, just maybe, God will do the impossible, move a mountain, and produce a miracle.
Is your faith big enough to try?
Pastor Dale
Youth Events
Senior Youth St Paul Lutheran Church
Years 8 - 12, 7.00pm-9.00pm
Saturday 4 November
A night of fun, fellowship and Bible discussions.
Bring supper to share
Cost $2.00
SPY – Youth
Years 6-8, 7.00pm-9.00pm, Term 4 Theme Light
Friday 3 November, boys bring supper
Friday 17 November
Friday 1 December
Cost $2.00
For more information please contact Nicole Hall, SPLC CYHM Coordinator, mob 0412686342