Serving Jesus is not all sunshine and roses! We had left everything to bring the good news of Jesus across the world, but it seemed that no matter how hard we tried, we just didn’t see any fruit. We felt like God had given us promises but, there was no real evidence that those promises would ever be fulfilled.
In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus shares a parable. He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants and becomes a tree, so that birds come and perch in its branches”. The song “Mustard Tree” was birthed out of this difficult season. It is a lament of sorts, similar to what David would write in the psalms. As I penned the words to this lament, I began to question. If God promises that even the tiniest seed of faith will blossom into a glorious tree, then why is nothing happening?
I began to take my eyes off of my own situation and examined the lives of those in the Bible that had gone through the same situation. As I prayed, one person stood out to me above the rest: Joseph. This is a man who had incredible dreams from God and ended up sold into slavery and eventually chained in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In that moment, I took myself into that prison cell with Joseph. I began to weep as I imagined how difficult it must have been for him to keep his faith in God’s promises, yet he never wavered. In the end, he was lifted up and the time came for God to fulfill His promises to Joseph. It is my prayer that in the depths of the struggle to keep my faith in God’s promises, my heart would echo the words of that desperate father in Mark chapter 9, “Jesus I believe, help my unbelief”.
lyrics
People always talk
of the mustard seed,
but I have yet to see
the mustard tree
Where are all the birds
to perch upon it's branches?
I've planted it deep, kept it from weeds
And tended to its needs
So, how long does it take a tree to grow?
And how much water can one seed hold?
I'm trying to be
sure of what I hope for
and certain of the things
I simply cannot see
I'm trying to be
sure of what I hope for
and certain of the things
I simply cannot see
Oh Jesus, I believe,
help my unbelief
These cold prison walls
shackled to his hands
Those God given visions
still vibrant in his head
Oh, I'm sure those dirty rats
tried to eat up Joseph's dream
But he guarded the seed, a harvest to reap
And waited for the king
So, how long does it take a tree to grow?
And how much water can one seed hold?
I'm trying to be
sure of what I hope for
and certain of the things
I simply cannot see
I'm trying to be
sure of what I hope for
and certain of the things
I simply cannot see
Oh, Jesus, I believe,
Help my unbelief
Oh, help my unbelief
Oh, help my unbelief
So if you say a tree will grow,
from this simple seed, I know
you'll keep your word, you always do
I know that you'll see it through
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