Because I Can (Friday Devotional)

 

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

- Matthew 17:19-20

I’ve probably watched the above video 20 times in the last few weeks. As the announcers say, what Simone Biles does in the clip is “astonishing,” and “absolutely unbelievable.” And according to the experts, one other word applies as well: unprecedented. When she successfully landed the Yurchenko double pike vault you just watched, she became the first woman to ever do so in a competition.

Of course, for a woman who is already the most decorated American gymnast, with 30 Olympic and World Championship medals to her name, you might wonder why she’s still pushing the boundaries of the possible. She already has a compelling case as the greatest gymnast of all time, why continue raising the bar?

Her answer, when asked that very question after last week’s competition, was telling: “Because I can.”

In his ministry, Jesus made it clear to his disciples that by faith in him, they too would be able to stretch the bounds of what was possible. In Jesus’s name, they would cast out demons, heal the sick, and take the gospel to the ends of the earth. By faith in him, Jesus promised, they would be able to move mountains.

As Jesus’s disciples today, I worry sometimes that we’ve lost that faithful audacity which seeks to change the world in Jesus’s name. Confronted with brokenness, we’re quick to lament but slow to act. We worry that we don’t have the knowledge, the resources, the time, or the skills to solve the problems we see.

But a fundamental part of faith is being willing to take a chance despite your own deficiencies, trusting the Lord to shore up those areas where you are lacking. Jesus didn’t call us to be infallible experts, but faithful disciples, more concerned with the power of God than the limitations of self.

Every day you see evidence of the world’s brokenness, places where redemption is sorely needed. Instead of waiting until you ‘feel ready’ to do something about it, step forward in faith. Trust the Spirit to empower you, and do the will and work of God. Because you can.