Mustard Seed Prologue
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
Five years ago, I dreamt a tree in the middle of field full of glowing grass. Imagine a background illuminated by soft yellow sunlight, and a gentle breeze rustling the long stems. There is no one in sight. Not a soul nearby. I have no connection to the world other than the field in that very moment in time. In a second full of tranquility, I peer up, and there stands the most astounding tree I’ve ever seen. This tree appears taller than any other in my memory. Its trunk is strong and wide, and it sheds a broad shadow in the place it is planted. As I gaze upward and around, there are the greenest leaves surrounding the space above my head and the branches seem to stretch to Heaven. In this moment, I know I am standing in a sanctuary, a place with much purpose and promise.
God is here, and I am with God.
Narrative
Most of us have heard the reference to Matthew 17:20. We may have been told that if we have the “faith of a mustard seed”, then we are in God’s will and anything is possible. But if I’m being honest, I missed the meaning of this verse because I hadn’t fully realized the potential of the mustard seed that would one day become a mustard tree.
Mustard trees can reach heights of approximately 20 feet high and can be as wide as they are tall. The branches hang low to the ground and the leaves are pigmented dark green to progressively lighter green. One of the main purposes of the tree is to provide shade for whatever that stands underneath them. Aside from flavoring food, the mustard plant is cultivated by people all over the world for a variety of uses including diuretics and a treatment for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and rheumatism.
And to think all these uses came from one of the smallest seeds in the world. Truth be told, the mustard tree’s purpose was always bigger than its existence as a seed. It was destined to grow, even coming from one of the smallest and most humble beginnings.
When I finally took the time to research the image of a fully-grown mustard tree, I confirmed that the dream I had nearly five years ago must have been the same tree. In my heart, I knew that God had given me this dream to spur my own dreams further, and prophetically, to birth the concept and heart of What is Written. Just as the mustard tree began as a small seed, its ultimate destiny was to one day grow into a fully grown tree with
a purpose to stand tall, to be wide, and to provide shade to that underneath it.
My biggest prayer and desire for What is Written is to support Jesus’ notion in Matthew 17:20. No matter what hardships are placed in front of us, or in what we have experienced, we would have faith to be planted as small seeds with the expectation of becoming fully grown and purposeful trees.
My hope for everyone that encounters any of the content presented here would be to find the value in their own seeds of faith. If someone doesn’t know that they have faith, I pray that they learn to accept that a little bit of faith makes anything possible, and anything purposed for greatness often begins as a small concept, idea, or hope - just like a mustard seed.
Things that seem impossible are not - if we have Him.
And in this notion is the heart and soul of What is Written – to inspire mustard seeds of faith and to encourage a genuine yielding to God’s presence in every situation, so that He has space to influence the outcome.
Welcome.