It Happens: Mark 4:26-29
Living by faith is a real skill we all need. When I fall asleep, I have faith I’ll wake up fine, my house won’t get broken into, my electric will be on, and my hot water tank will function. When I stick clothes into my washer, I have faith they will come out whole and clean. When I let my dog lick my face or hands, I have faith I’m not going to get bit. When I talk to another person, I have faith they’ll respond appropriately. The reason we have faith in each situation is because we’ve done each activity hundreds of times and had successful results.
Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God is like a seed sown in the dirt. The gardener doesn’t know how the seed wakes up, puts forth roots, starts growing a stem, grows its leaves, and produces whatever kind of harvest is required. Some seeds grow because the ground gets to a certain temperature. Some seeds use a combination of ground temperature and soil dampness. Other seeds require pressure from the dirt above them. We don’t really know everything required for a seed to take root and become a plant. We simply know when we tear open the seed packet and follow the directions printed on the back, we are likely to see things grow.
The same is true for the kingdom of God. I don’t really know how faith grows inside of me. I don’t know why my brain thinks about the things it does. I don’t know how God places the answers to my queries into my life – sometimes using a Bible passage that springs to mind, other times using a speaker or podcast in a timely manner, other times using a book I’m reading, and still other times using a friend or mentor that I ask directly. If you asked me to write out the way faith developed in my own life, much less the life of anyone else, I couldn’t tell you how it works.
I could, however, say with confidence that it does work. I could also say that there are things I do in my life to give space for the kingdom of God to grow within me. I try to have a meaningful devotional practice so God’s Word is always before me in some fashion. I try to have a prayer life that gives me space to enter the presence of God. I try to engage in meaningful conversations with people whose opinions I trust to inspire faith within. These things do work, but I can’t always explain how God makes it work. God’s ways are sometimes very clear; other times God’s ways are very mysterious. The good news is that complete understanding is not required from me. All I need to bring is a willing heart.
Living by faith is a real skill we all need.
