“How can we picture God’s kingdom? What kind of story can we use? It’s like an acorn. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge oak tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it.” Mark 4:30-32 THE MESSAGE 

God continuously sows seeds in His work on earth and in us. Unlike the parable of the sower whose seeds are lost to scavenging birds, poor soil, scorching sun, and thorns (Matthew 13:4–7 NASB), the seeds God plants always grow up to bear fruit. We may not see the sowing, or if we do, we regard the seeds to be so small as insignificant. But what we perceive as paltry, God sees as meaningful. 

“Looking up, He saw the rich people putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. He said, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in [proportionally] more than all of them; for they all put in gifts from their abundance; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on’” (Luke 21:1–4 AMP). 

God is not a domineering dictator demanding grand gestures and gigantic leaps of faith from us. He wants our hearts to trust Him, and He knows we need to start small. Faith is scary at first. But, like a tiny mustard seed or acorn grows with care and nurturing, God knows our faith can grow exponentially in response to His faithfulness. All He asks is that we take the first small step.  

Planting seeds of faith means trusting God no matter what. Faith moves forward even when we are afraid, are confused, and can’t see the ending. Faith says, “Yes, God, I trust You with all that I am and all that I have.” Faith does what fear cannot. It plants hope and grows assurance. 

Thank You that You grow my smallest seeds of faith, Lord. Thank You that I can trust You. Give me a brave heart that steps out in faith and follows You no matter what. 

This is an excerpt from Playing in the Dirt: 90 Devotions for Crazy Plant Ladies – a new devotional journal now available for pre-order on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.