There is a lot to write about I'm behind on the bloggin. Things like the country of Ukraine and Romania, the fact that one of my teammates has left for home, and my love for this country (and how utterly confusing that is). However, all that seems to come out at the moment is about mustard seeds.
A thought I had way back in Malaysia
There was a night I stayed behind to pray for the group going out into Penang to do homeless ministry. I started thinking of the parable in Matthew about how if you have faith the size of a mustard seed it can move mountains.
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
Because of this I started reading up on the mustard plant. Apparently mustard is extremely healthy for you and you can eat every part of the plant, but one of my favorite lines I found was a warning to home gardeners. It states: “It would be inadvisable to plant mustard in the garden or flower border. It self-sows very easily and might become a pest.”
He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.” Matthew 13:31-32
In Malaysia, I started desperately wanted my faith in Christ to not be constrained by borders. I want the knowledge and acceptance of what Jesus has done for all of us to spread rapidly and easily. For it to be sown into the lives of people I come in contact with every day.
My mind went to what it would look like if the seed of faith was planted (if the mustard seed was planted) if I allowed my small faith to grow. Unless you tell that mountain to move, unless you speak and act in the things you believe, what is the point in having them?
”In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17
I’m not one for imagines and visions (so I don’t really know if that’s what this is) but in that upper prayer room I saw these small patches of mustard seeds (faith) being planted all throughout Malaysia. Then these clumps of mustard plants started to break up cement walk ways and roads. These plants started coming together over the broken cement and forming this massive reckoning force of mustard plants, connecting and intertwining; going deep into the soil (into the love and wisdom of God) so that they would not/ could not be pulled out. The branches of the mustard plant were also connecting on the surface indicating unity, safety and community. Moving and self sowing all throughout Malaysia becoming this force to be reckoned with.
Then I started to see these vines start going up building walls and covering buildings. The destructive type of vines that cling and weaken the mortar holding the building together that causes brinks to fall off and the building structure to be weakened. Breaking off everything not of God, breaking off the dark spiritual hold on the people there.
My prayer started to be for believers to plant their faith in the rich love of our Savior. To start rising up and breaking ground through lies, resentment, pride, and anger. To break through the roads easily travelled on, to break through to hurting people. Basically to be a destructive force of love, breaking through strong holds, restoring, redeeming. God is love and He is power. I get chills when I think of all He has done for us.
More will come on my time spent in Eastern Europe thus far. Home is fast approaching!
All for His glory
Megan
