Lord, Increase My Faith

Mustard SeedsWe often ask for wisdom, but when is the last time you asked the Lord to increase your faith? Luke records the disciples asking Jesus to, “Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5) The Lord responds to the disciples in two parts:

  1. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can make surprising requests, such as asking a tree to throw itself into the sea. (v. 6) When is the last time you made a bold request of the Lord where His help was needed to accomplish a task for His name’s sake? 
  2. As servants of the Most High, we are to work hard and obey Him in humility. And even if we do not hear a word of appreciation from anyone, we must not be discouraged but keep on going by faith. (v. 7-10)

And separately, we have the story of the ten lepers who asked Jesus for mercy, and He responded and healed them. Jesus expressed surprise that only one of the ten returned to give Him thanks. He said to the foreigner who returned to give thanks, “Your faith has healed you.” The other nine were also healed as they marched off as lepers to the priest to be declared clean. They all had to exercise great faith as they traveled, trusting that the Lord would heal them on the way.

So what was the purpose of Jesus highlighting the foreigner who returned to give thanks? (v 11-19)

Giving thanks is an acknowledgement that the Lord has done what we asked of Him. The more God responds to our requests to be used by Him, the more likely it is that our faith will be increased so that our next request will be even bigger. When is the last time you prayed for something and then later returned to give thanks for His response?

The point is that our faith increases when we aspire to greater faith. Ask for something crazy big! We have a big God. Faith increases when we proceed without a thought of personal recognition and then give thanks. That is an acknowledgement that God is the doer and that He uses us to accomplish His purposes. Be bold. Register or login at MissionNext and see how the Lord might use you to accomplish His purposes with gratitude. 

Nelson Malwitz, Founder MissionNext

Nelson Malwitz, Founder

Nelson Malwitz, Founder

Nelson is the generic Evangelical baby-boomer. Born in 1946, raised in the C&MA and attended Urbana ’67 in college. He holds an MS degree in Chemical Engineering and worked in R&D positions in American industry for 33 years. Nelson is an inventor with formal training in methods of creative problem-solving. He was a founding elder at Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, CT (1982) in what is now one of the largest Evangelical churches in New England. In 1998 Nelson founded the Finishers Project, now MissionNext, and serves in program development. He has been in 45 countries to work with leaders of leaders and see multiple cultures first hand.

6 Comments

  1. Rickey or Bronx, NY
    Rickey or Bronx, NY on April 4, 2020 at 12:17 am

    I am impressed by the Lord. Thank you for the insights in this article.

  2. Nathan of Anahiem, CA
    Nathan of Anahiem, CA on March 29, 2020 at 1:12 pm

    Hi, Neat post. Giving thanks is a way to build faith that the Lord is paying attention.

  3. William of Torrance, CA
    William of Torrance, CA on November 10, 2019 at 7:07 am

    Loved the article and comments. And that a fellow Torrance-ite (Robert) was also struck by the insightful request of the Apostles. It makes me wonder about the link between faith and forgiveness. Faced with the challenge to be forgiving, what aspect of faith will help? Perhaps trusting the wisdom of God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will”? Or perhaps trusting that He is truly working “in all things” … even disturbing things? Thanks again.

    • Nelson Malwitz
      Nelson Malwitz on November 10, 2019 at 7:08 am

      Thank you for your response. It is interesting that Jesus covers the relationship of forgiveness and faith from two angels in two separate parables. Matthew 18:21ff and Luke 7:36ff

  4. Robert of Torrance, CA
    Robert of Torrance, CA on November 10, 2019 at 7:01 am

    Of all the requests I make in my daily prayers, I was stopped in my tracks as I began reading Luke, Chapter 17 this morning. I was humbled by the Apostles’s request, “Lord, increase our faith.” What an insightful request! Of all the requests I often make, and there are many, it seems that this one is the most needful. Jesus said, “If you have the faith of a mustard seed. . .” That is not much faith, but it came from the lips of Jesus, so it must be true. I must confess, this is one request I don’t think I have ever made. But, now I know how important it really is, and it will become part of my daily devotions. The Bible has much to teach us.

    • Nelson Malwitz
      Nelson Malwitz on November 10, 2019 at 7:03 am

      Thank you for expressing your awe and passion for a close walk with the Lord.

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