Have you ever felt like your faith wasn’t enough? Like you were walking on eggshells just to stay afloat? Perhaps your prayers bounced off the ceiling, and every time you talked to God, it felt like an echo chamber of emptiness. If you’ve felt this way, you’re in good company with me and the Father, as mentioned in Mark 9.
In the middle of Mark 9, Jesus and His Disciples encounter a crowd of religious teachers arguing. A man brought his son so that Jesus could heal him because a demon possessed him. While Jesus’ Disciples couldn’t cast them out, the Father noted, “The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can” (Mark 9:22, NLT).
“If I can?” Jesus retorted. “Anything is possible if a person believes” (Mark 9:23, NLT, paraphrased). At that moment, the Father cried out: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:24, NLT). And I have to wonder, did he feel small in faith? Was he embarrassed by Jesus’ question? Why was his faith so small?
As Christians, I think we all know what it’s like to feel like our faith is fragile. We cling to hope with one hand while fighting off doubt with the other. While Jesus does call us to believe and have faith, we often miss a bigger point: He cares about us, whether our faith is as small as a mustard seed or as large as a mountain.
If your faith feels small right now, remember two things: Real faith isn’t measured by our feelings, and Jesus never asked for big faith.
Have you ever attended a Church service where everyone seems intoxicated by the Holy Spirit? People are shouting, raising their hands, and singing at higher decibel volumes, but maybe you feel nothing? It’s not bad to “feel” the presence of the Holy Spirit, yet our feelings don’t measure faith. It’s not the goosebumps we get in a worship concert or during a sermon that Jesus looks at. No, He looks at the heart.
For many years, I wrestled with this. The weeks I “felt” something in my body, I felt more on fire for God. The weeks I didn’t, I ridiculed myself and believed I was a bad Christian. Here’s the truth: We live in a cultural myth of big faith. Many Christians, myself included, have bought into the lie that we have to be “on fire’ for the Lord all the time, and visibly show that. Social screams it, televangelists prophecy it, and revivals promise it. Let me be clear: I’m not bashing any of these things. But we've missed the point when we measure our faith by feelings, outward expressions, and cultural church pressures.
Serving God means being faithful in and out of season. It means worshipping Him when you feel His presence and when you don’t. When you want to worship, and when it’s the last thing you feel like doing. Real faith shares the human experience with our Creator. It tells Him how we’re doing and doesn’t put on a show. Because you might fool those around you, but you will never fool God.
As the Apostle Paul explains in the book of Galatians, salvation comes through faith alone. It’s our personal and intimate relationship with Jesus that matters. While God does want us to praise and experience the fullness of His Spirit, He doesn’t want us to ridicule ourselves for not feeling a certain way.
In Galatians 2, Paul rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy. While this wasn’t about his outward expression of worship or feeling, it was about circumcision. When Peter first arrived in Galatia, he ate with the Gentile believers who were not circumcised. Later, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentile believers who were not circumcised. He feared criticism, and as a result, caused hypocrisy that confused and led others astray.
I bring up this example because Paul’s point is this: faith isn’t about feelings, a performance, or looking spiritual in front of your friends. But sadly, just as Peter fell into the trap of doing what looked right, we can fall into thinking our emotions, or lack of faith, define our relationship with God.
Just as Paul reminded Peter, I’m here to remind you and me that the Gospel message is built on grace, forgiveness, and discipline. True faith doesn’t mean feeling God’s presence every Sunday or comparing your worship to the person two pews ahead of you. True faith means staying faithful and dependent on the Lord when you feel something and nothing. It’s about who our faith is in.
As humans, our feelings will rise and fall. This is part of the human experience. But Christ never changes, and He loves you the same. Real faith isn’t a constant mountain-top experience—and frankly, if we try to live and pretend like it is, we will burn out, crash, and fall. But real faith is a daily decision to trust God in the valleys and the mountains. The rivers and the deserts of wastelands. And that faith will endure to the end.
The second thing I’ve learned about small faith is that it’s okay! Friends, Jesus never asked for big faith. That doesn’t mean we should be faithless or use this as an excuse not to trust God, but it does mean we can relieve the pressure we often put on ourselves.
In Matthew 17:20-21, just after the incident we noted in Mark, Jesus says these words: “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible” (NLT). A mustard seed, huh? If you’ve never seen one, I encourage you to Google it or go to your local grocery store—they are so small, but the point is this—Jesus never asked us for big faith, He just asks us to trust, have faith, and believe with what we’re able.
Numerous examples of people doubting and struggling to understand God’s ways are found in the Scriptures. These accounts make me feel seen and heard because sometimes, I wonder if I’m the only one who feels the way I do. And yet, we see spiritual fathers like Gideon, Thomas, or Peter who experienced these feelings but were still profoundly used by the Lord.
Friends, faith that feels small still counts. It’s still called faith. If you struggle with this today, I want to encourage you that it’s not about the size of your faith but the object of your faith. It’s about your steadfast perseverance when times get tough and choosing to trust even when you can’t feel or make sense of it all.
On this side of Heaven, we will continue to experience everyday struggles. Anxiety, grief, stress, and doubt are part of the human experience. But don’t beat yourself up for feelings or the lack of them. Instead, remember that your faith is enough. Ask God to challenge you and grow that faith, but rest assured—He loves you and sees you as you are.
If you’re looking for practical ways to nurture small faith today, these are just a few practices I’ve found to help:
Short Prayers- When you’re overwhelmed, struggling, or just feeling down and out, it can be hard to pray for long periods. The good news is that God accepts all styles and lengths of prayer. Short prayers matter to God just as much as long and winding ones. Even “God help” is enough.
Surround Yourself With Community- If you’re struggling to stand firm in the faith, our first instinct is to run, hide, and isolate ourselves. We feel ashamed, confused, and frustrated. But friends, you aren’t the only one to feel this way, and God created us for community, in community, so that we can share one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Finding a supportive mentor, church family, and friends can help you understand your doubts, insecurities, and struggles.
Meditate on Scripture—Especially when I find it hard to focus, meditating on Scripture is a good way to ground my body, mind, and soul. Picking one simple Scripture to recite mentally while deep breathing can help us physically reset. We may not immediately feel better, but regulating our nervous system can help us slow down, focus, and remain present.
Seek Counseling and Mental Health Support- This is countercultural to many, but seeking counseling and mental health support can be an act of faith. I know it’s hard and scary. I get it. Before I got help, I was petrified about what others would think of me. But seven years later, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Therapists are trained to help us process and work through the emotions we feel and those we don’t. Not everyone may need this level of care, but everyone can benefit from it.
Hope in Your Hardest Days
On your hardest days, I want to remind you that God honors mustard-seed faith just as much as mountain-top faith. He loves and sees you where you are as you are, and isn’t judging you for what you feel or don’t. So why should we judge ourselves?
Keep showing up, even when your faith feels small, and don’t beat yourself up. Remember that in our moments of smallness, weakness, and insecurity, that’s where God can do His biggest work. He can help us move from doubt to faith or small faith to even larger faith. But the measure of that faith isn’t what matters. It’s that we cling to hope no matter what. It’s who we place that faith and hope in.
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