06/15/2019
Do we rejoice when God moves in our life? We say yes, but are we looking for His hand in all the everyday occurrences? We give thanks for the dramatic movements of God’s hand, yet we are inclined to attribute the small and seemingly insignificant happenings in our everyday existence to either ourselves, or to the natural occurrence of life. Let’s look at our days through fresh eyes, and search for God there in new ways; then, when we see Him, let’s thank Him for His presence.
“Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."”
Genesis 21:5-7 ESV
We see the big interactions we have with God because it is hard to miss them. Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was either 90 or 91 when she delivered him. When God does something of this magnitude it is hard to miss His hand in it, but what about the cool cloth that a handmaiden wiped Sarah’s face with as she labored? Did she see God’s hand in that act of love, or the manservant whose life was changed as he looked at Abraham’s face at the moment when he first heard the newborn Isaac cry? Did Abraham see God moving in this man’s life at that instant?
Now I don’t know if these little things actually occurred the day that Isaac was born, but certainly there were others, and if we do nothing more than thank God for the similar small things that happen our lives, we will be praying without ceasing. If we finally recognize God in the small things we will rejoice all the day long...
“For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth."”
Zechariah 4:10 ESV
There is an ancient saying that goes like this “Good things come in small packages”, and is attributed to Aesop, but today we are more inclined to say “Big things come in small packages.” However we choose to say it (and I prefer the original), there is wisdom in this. Sometimes it is a small and fleeting expression on a person’s face that sparks your heart to love them greatly, or maybe the way they laugh, or the kindness in their eyes. What is it that makes a person great at what they do... many people can play football, so what is it about the few that rise to stardom? It is the small nuisances in play, and tiny skills that set them apart. The little things are hard to see, but they come all day long like tiny raindrops, and, to which one do we attribute the great flood?
“And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”
Genesis 7:12 ESV
More often than not, God deals with us greatly in the things we feel are of the least consequence... the little dab of oil we receive before a healing prayer, the tiny mark of ash on our forehead on Ash Wednesday, the touch of another’s hand as they lay hands upon us, or the smell of a newborn’s breath that brings a prayer to our lips. Small things, and yet they are the spark of God that binds the great happenings in our life together as we serve, and witness Him.
“pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the intricate nature of our lives, and the way you bind the large events of faith together with the tiny things you do for us every day. I thank you for every breath I have taken without even a thought, so that at that one amazing moment I can gasp in amazement at your greatness. I thank you Holy Father for all of the good things you give us during our day that seem so small, and often go unnoticed. I pray that you will open our eyes to every good thing you do for us; the small, and large; the earth shattering, and the soft breath of a baby. Each of these is an act of your love, and a cause for us to praise you in thanksgiving. Teach us to see your forest by thanking you for every tree. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is great enough to create the universe, and humble enough to attend to even the scent of a newborn’s breath. Praised be your name for every good thing, and may your glory be found in the multitude of tiny prayers that make up the flood of our faithfulness.
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
Psalms 34:1-3 ESV
Rich Forbes