Prayer is the ultimate expression of faith. It is the thing, more than anything else, more than preaching or teaching, more than doing or moving, that demonstrates complete surrender to Christ.

This begs the question: if prayer is a key demonstration of faith, then how much faith is required for real prayer?

Jesus once said, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” (Luke 13:18-19 NIV)

So, what amount of faith is required in prayer? Faith that looks like a seed. And for all Christians, this should give us hope. God does not say to us, “Come to me after you’ve harvested, gathered, and filled baskets full of demonstrations of faith.” God does not say, “Conjure up from within yourselves a mountain of belief before you think to approach me.” God says to us: “Bring me the kernel that you have. The tiny one. The one even you can hardly see.”

And because God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27), He plants that kernel in our hearts, and the kernel splits open like a germinating seed and dies in the soil of our beings. From that seed, a whole new life of faith will form (John 12:24). This faith is transformed not of our doing, remember, we only bring a kernel. It is transformed by the grace of God, which waters the seed through the Spirit and gives it the light of life through Jesus.

So when you pray today and all you have is a little seed of faith that feels insufficient, remember that’s all God has asked for and wants in the first place. And when you pray, offer up that seed and ask God to plant it. Tomorrow, you can bring the seed you have tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. I’m convinced, at some point, you’ll stumble upon some trees.