Are You Satisfied With Little Faith?

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’” (Luke 17:5)

That may be one of the most honest prayers found in the Bible.

These were not new believers. These were the apostles. They had left everything to follow Jesus. They had walked beside Him, listened to His teaching, watched Him heal the sick, cast out demons, calm storms, and feed thousands. They had seen things that most people could only imagine.

Yet they still knew they needed more faith.

They did not pretend they had arrived. They did not compare themselves with others and decide their faith was good enough. They recognized what was missing, went directly to Jesus, and said, “Increase our faith!”

There is no shame in admitting that our faith is weak. The danger comes when we become satisfied with weak faith.

Many believers seem content to have just enough faith to attend church, pray when trouble comes, and say they believe in God. They do not hunger for deeper trust, greater obedience, or a closer walk with Christ. They have become comfortable where they are.

The apostles were not comfortable.

The context of their request is important. Jesus had just told them that if a brother sinned against them seven times in one day and returned seven times saying, “I repent,” they were to forgive him.

That was a difficult command.

The apostles did not ask Jesus to change the command. They did not say, “Lord, that is unreasonable.” They said, “Increase our faith!”

They understood that obeying Jesus would require more than human strength. It would require faith.

That is where many believers go wrong. When God’s Word becomes difficult, they look for a way around it. They search for someone who will explain away the command, lower the standard, or tell them that obedience is unnecessary.

The apostles asked God to change them, not His Word.

When we struggle to forgive, love an enemy, resist temptation, remain faithful during suffering, or obey when we do not understand, our prayer should be the same.

“Lord, increase our faith.”

Jesus answered by speaking about faith like a mustard seed. He was not teaching that faith is some magical force that allows us to receive whatever we want. The power is not in the size of our faith. The power is in the One in whom our faith is placed.

A small amount of real faith in a great God is worth more than great confidence in ourselves.

Faith also grows through the Word of God.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

We cannot ignore the Bible all week and expect strong faith. Faith grows as we hear God’s Word, believe what He has said, and obey what He has shown us. Every act of obedience strengthens our trust in Him.

Faith also grows when it is tested. We may ask God to increase our faith, but we should not be surprised when He places us in situations where we must use it. Faith that is never tested remains weak.

The father of a suffering boy once cried out to Jesus, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

That was not a prayer of defeat. It was a prayer of honesty. He believed, but he knew his faith was not what it should be.

No believer has enough faith. There is always room to trust Christ more, obey Him more fully, and depend less upon ourselves.

The question is not whether our faith is small.

The question is whether we are satisfied to leave it that way.

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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” – Dean Butler

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