Who among us does not believe that our depth and breadth of faith does not need increased?! But the strange thing is, I wonder if we have actually turned this request by the apostles (Luke 17:5) into our own prayer?
“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’”
What shocks me even more is the context in Luke 17 in which the request occurs. Jesus had just said to his disciples that if one’s brother had sinned against them 7 times in a day, and seven times had returned to say, “I repent,” then they are to forgive him.
No wonder the apostles then responded, “Increase our faith.”
This immediate request revolves around several issues. I think the apostles realized how hard it would be to forgive someone who had sinned against them seven times in one day. They also realized how much faith it would take to do that, and that they obviously did not possess that kind of faith.
What does it mean to ask Jesus to add or increase our faith? I think it means at least the following:
1. Asking Jesus to give us the strength of faith and the resolve of Christian character to forgive others beyond the human tendency to want to stop.
2. Realizing with Jesus’ metaphor of the mustard seed that the latent power within faith is as astounding as saying to a mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and go dive into the sea,” and watching it happen!
3. Praying this simple prayer “Increase our faith” and simply believing that God, Jesus and the Spirit are actually capable of doing that!
4. Finally realizing that it takes “increased faith” in order to forgive others when they have wronged us because we know that our relationship with the brother or sister is more important than the sin!
When I read this episode in Jesus’ ministry, my head spins with incredulity! How far I am from this kind of faith! How much I need Jesus’ help to even think about getting there! And, how significant my willingness to forgive is related to God’s central concern about his children!
In Christian love, Curtis
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