Painful Roots
I referred to the disciples asking Jesus to increase their faith in yesterday’s article, found here .
I place myself in this position each morning in prayer, knowing full well I am severely lacking in so many ways when I stand before the Lord. My natural request of Him is to increase my faith and prepare me for what He has planned in the day… because really… man, some days seem to take on their own personality and are out to get me.
Oh Lord, just increase my faith, huh?
I believe Jesus is faithful to answer this request, though it is not with a sweep of His hand, a spoken word, or anything we can describe with the word “instantly”. Instantly would not teach us. Instantly would not open our eyes. Instantly would not get rid of some of the wrong ways of thinking, reacting, or justifying our decisions. Instead, we find ourselves in the same position as the disciples some 2,000 years ago, making a request and wondering how the Lord is going to work it out in our lives.
Make no mistake – He will work it out. We find this little nugget of information in Hebrews 12:2:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…
Do you see how this is all stitched together? Jesus is the author of our faith, a free gift He gives to us. He is also the perfecter of our faith, which means He is the One to teach us how to apply our faith in life. He gives us a gift and trains us on the gift, with a training period equal to the rest of our lives.
The disciples are making the request of Jesus as part of a conversation spanning a couple of chapters in Luke. Their request and His answer are found in Luke 17:5-6:
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
This is an interesting response. The image portrayed here is one of uprooting – not trimming or pruning, but of an all out uprooting and displacement of a tree. Now before you start imagining a tree jumping up out of the ground, running along on roots to hop into a nice, convenient hole near the sea, let’s consider first why you would want to have the tree moved in the first place. Sheer entertainment value? I mean, let’s face it, that would be something to see, right? Add a little music and maybe we can see the tree bust a move on the way? (Glenn shrugs…)
If we accept Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith, then we also must accept He is the author and perfecter of all of creation. This means He determines which trees will grow and where they will grow. I do not believe God is referring to us moving a tree in the passage, with or without the accompaniment of music. Instead, I believe He is referring to something that needs to be uprooted from where He did not plant… something that would perfect our faith in the process.
I have learned some of my darkest sins and problems have roots traveling all the way back to my heart, deep seated roots entwined in my emotions and feeding on denial or ignorance. Some spouted from seeds of pain, hurt, confusion, callous words, or rejection; others from revenge, unforgiveness, and grudges; and still others from sources unknown.
Yeah, I have a messy garden here, but think about the application in what Jesus is telling His disciples and each of us. Before we ask God for the faith to move a mountain, we have to take care of a few roots closer to home. We don’t need bucket loads of faith to complete this first task; all we need is a miniscule amount… and the desire.
I believe what Jesus is telling us is something very basic: “Examine your hearts and pluck out the roots of sin.”
Like any chore in the garden, it gets easier once you get started. Let me encourage you to ask the Lord to give you eyes to see what He wants you to see, ears to hear what He wants you to hear, and the strength to recognize the roots of sin choking off the fullness of your life – and the grace to deal with those roots. I am finding it easier as I go, but those initial steps totally suck.
I believe it is worth it. Contact me if you want help praying through this process.
Glenn Sasscer
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