Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)
As we read Matthew’s Gospel, we realize that the
apostles were a very special group of men. They must have been, to have
such privileged access to Jesus. They witnessed him feeding five
thousand people with almost nothing.
They saw him walk on water. They heard all of his teaching. Some of
them even beheld his transfiguration. You would assume that they knew
all his secrets by now—and yet they couldn’t heal this man’s son. What
were they missing? Why couldn’t they muster up the faith Jesus expected
from them?
To answer that question, we have to go out on a limb and state that
not only did God become man, but he entrusted his mission to other men
and women who were far from perfect. Unlike some supervisors we know,
Jesus didn’t expect his apostles to do everything right the first time.
He was perfectly content to let them make mistakes—and he did so for a
reason. Unless he allowed them to stumble and fall, they would keep
relying on themselves rather than his love and power.
Like the apostles, we have to learn about faith in the same way. It’s
not a technique or something we receive automatically. It’s a process
of falling in love with Jesus. The better we get to know him, the more
we are willing to take risks for him. It will certainly mean failing at
times, but we should never look at those failures as defeats. The
mustard seed of faith won’t blossom overnight. It grows gradually as we
continue to step out in trust and see where God takes us.
Peter himself tells us to add perseverance to our faith (2 Peter
1:6). If you are praying for someone, but nothing is happening, don’t
stop! If you feel you are stuck in an area of sin and tired of seeing
the same old habit return, don’t despair. Instead, persist until you see
the victory God intends for you. He will give you a crown of
righteousness, even if it happens one jewel at a time.
“Lord, help me let go of perfectionism. Let me be unafraid to
believe in your promises and always willing to move forward in faith.”
from wau.org
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