Don't Give Up To Soon

When I look back over the past 20 years or so, I can think of so many different times where God has fulfilled His promises to me. Some specific examples include healing my back, selling our home, working things out with our new home, and providing what we needed to homeschool. There are many more examples too but those stick out in my mind because each of those took a great deal of time....at least in my opinion (my very impatient opinion).

So why do I so quickly give up now when I'm waiting on God to act in a situation? Why am I so quick to get frustrated and fearful that He has forgotten me? He has proven to me that He keeps His Word and He has a better plan but for some reason, I have a hard time remembering that when during the waiting.

On Sunday a friend at church shared something that really struck me. She read Matthew 17:20 which says, "And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you."  

She explained that the Greek translation of "littleness" is brief. So while we only need faith the size of a mustard seed, which is really very tiny, Jesus does want our faith to have longevity.  We often have enough faith but it doesn't last. The miracle doesn't happen as quickly as we want it to or the answer isn't exactly what we thought it would be and we just give up. Jesus wants us to keep asking, keep believing, and keep trusting. He wants us to be in it for the long haul. 

This explanation of Matthew 17:20 really speaks to me because I know I have faith, even if it is as small as a mustard seed, the faith is there. So why doesn't the mountain move when I ask it to? Now I know, its because Jesus is teaching me not to give up too soon. My faith wouldn't have longevity if my prayers were always immediately answered. And truthfully, the most important thing about this journey is the relationship...not just getting what I want.

Today I am grateful for this lesson on faith that's in it for the long haul. It's so easy for us to give up, but having enduring faith is something that grows us and causes us to focus on the main thing! I am also thankful for a different perspective on a verse I've read a thousand times. It's funny how you can read something for years and never really understand it but once you do, it changes everything! God's Word is alive and this is a prime example of that!