There was a woman in the community who was well known for her simple faith and great calm in the midst of many trials.
Another woman who had never met her but had heard of her came to visit one day. “I must find out the secret of her calm, happy life,” she thought to herself.
As she met her, she said: “So you are the woman with the great faith I’ve heard so much about.”
“No,” came the reply. “I am not the woman with the great faith, but I am the woman with the little faith in our great, awesome God.”
Can YOU say the same?
THERE IS SOMETHING DEEPLY HYPOCRITICAL ABOUT PRAYING FOR A PROBLEM YOU ARE UNWILLING TO RESOLVE!
My Commentary:
This brief encounter between two women illustrates one of the most profound truths of the Christian life: faith is not about the greatness of our believing, but about the greatness of the One in whom we believe.
The visitor came with admiration, convinced that the woman’s strength came from her own extraordinary faith. What she discovered, however, was something far more humbling and liberating – that peace in trials does not come from human greatness, but from resting in God’s greatness.
The woman of “little faith” teaches us that the smallest seed of trust, when rooted in God’s infinite power, is more than enough. Her calm and happiness were not the result of self-mastery or spiritual heroism but the fruit of depending wholly on the sufficiency of God.
She shifted the focus away from herself and onto Him, reminding us that we do not need to conjure up heroic faith to endure life’s hardships. We simply need to bring our frail, faltering trust to a God who is steadfast, faithful, and strong.
This perspective frees us from spiritual pride and despair alike. Pride falls away, because our peace is not our own achievement. Despair melts, because we do not have to be “giants of faith” to experience God’s presence. Even the trembling, mustard-seed faith of an ordinary person can rest in the arms of an extraordinary God.
In a world that prizes personal strength, this story whispers a different truth: it is not how tightly we cling to God that matters most, but how securely God holds us.
