Faith In the Journey – Matthew 17:19-21

What does it look like to follow God in faith in this season? 

Most every one of us have likely experienced disruption in the way we have gotten used to following God. I’m not saying that we have walked away from God, but some of our methods and expressions of living out our faith have undergone change. For example, because faith is lived out in community with other believers, we have experienced some disorientation because of being apart from one another. The good news is that a relationship with God in faith is not limited to these factors. It is impacted, but it is not limited.

I’m challenged by the possibility that our relationship with God is based more on our circumstances than we’d like to admit. It’s a familiar problem we see in scripture. In one case, the first disciples were trying to cast the demons out of a boy and they weren’t successful. They took their problem to Jesus. Matthew 17:19-21 says, “Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’ He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, 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.” 

While we know that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains, the size of the mountain before us can sometimes dictate the capacity of our faith. (That’s not quite the encouraging social media post we’re looking to share.)  I don’t like this picture of weak faith and I imagine you don’t either. However, it can be the reality in moments and even seasons when our worlds are turned upside down. The goal is for our faith to be unwavering in all circumstances…for our faith to be full of dependence on and trust in God.

With the goal of unwavering faith. I’d like to take us on a journey over the next few weeks with these devotionals into a life that is full of faith, no matter the mountain before us. It is a journey of re-discovering or at the very least re-orienting our life to Jesus Christ in these different days. This journey will lead us to six landmarks that help us to walk with God in a time of waiting and uncertainty. These landmarks will speak to practices and commitments of devotion to God and encourage us to offer our lives in trust. God will be our leader, the Holy Spirit our counselor, and Jesus our companion in this walk in faith. I expect it to be a great trip.

My prayer is that no matter the hardship, pain, or disruption you’ve been facing, God will ignite your faith in new ways. 

Take care of yourself and take care of one another!

Pastor Dan