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 for you.” Matthew 17:20
Remember when you were a child, with this incredible faith, hope, and joy for every little thing that happened in your life? Like when you lost a tooth, or set out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, or when your dad told you he would take you out for ice cream after your football game, or when your mom promised you a shopping trip over the weekend? Do you remember how hopeful you felt? Never worried that you’d be forgotten, or someone wouldn’t follow through, or you’d have to wake up the next morning to find the tooth still there, without a note from the Tooth Fairy and a $5 dollar bill. You rarely worried that someone would let you down, or plans would fall through, or your problems would fail to have solutions. We’re often told to dream big, without letting anything deter us from achieving our dreams–like being a firefighter, or a nurse, or a baseball player. When we’re children, we have this incredible spark and passion for living, and achieving, and persevering.
So if we dream big, what would happen if we pray bigger? I think that as we get older, sometimes I think I don’t truly acknowledge how much power He actually holds. Sometimes I think that I forget that the Creator of the universe cares just as much about my seemingly minuscule cares and worries as He does about the crises of the entire world. Sometimes I think that I let past situations and people who have let me down determine the size and nature of my prayers. God tells us in His word that if we only “ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.” He instructs us in Thessalonians to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances”. To come to Him with our heart’s deepest desires, our temptations, our pain, our worries and concerns, our hopes and our dreams–and pray. Prayer is our way of connecting with and connecting to God–it stills our hearts, strengthens our minds, and prepares us mentally and physically to live the life He’s given us. And the key is not to pray with hopes that He will answer your prayers, it’s to believe that He will. It’s to believe that He can, that He will, and that He wants to.
Today in the store, while searching for a small journal that I could use for prayer, I finally settled with one the words “Think BIG” printed on the front cover. My goal for the next few weeks is to spend much time in prayer, whether it is scheduled or spontaneous, and to believe that through it, BIG things will be accomplished through Him. So whether you are praying for yourself, your family, your health, or for others, I challenge you to believe that God will answer them. Pray without ceasing. Lose yourself in reverent conversation with your Creator. Think back to the times when you possessed a “child-like faith”, and let that fountain of hope spill over into your prayers and petitions before the Lord.
Much love,
Cait
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