Small Things
Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?
Zechariah 4:10 NIV
Have you ever experienced one of those days when you felt overwhelmed to the point of quitting? The leadership of the post-exiled Israelites reflected the same quitting spirit while rebuilding the Temple. Yet, Zechariah prophesied, who dares the day of small things? We consider small things as unimportant, insignificant, or trivial things. But in God's plan, these small things are significant. For the rebuilding to continue, the post-exiled Israelites had to remove large amounts of rubble and debris that surrounded the ruined Temple. Yet, to carry out such an enormous task, you begin small. The Temple was in ruin for 16 years after the foundation was laid. Even though they had started, they quit. Was the task too difficult? Or did they overlook the small things before carrying out the bigger ones? Frequently, we avoid small things because they seem insignificant from someone else's perspective. In the Scripture above, the prophecy reminds us not to despise the days when we only did small things because God is working on the details of His bigger plan, even in the small things.
Remember Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25th chapter; the master did not focus on the amounts each servant received but on the follow through of using the resources. The servant with five talents made another five, and the servant with two made two more. Both servants received the same response from the master: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (vv. 21, 23). To the servant who did nothing with his one talent, the master said, “You wicked and slothful servant!” (v. 26). When we fail at the small things, what will the Savior say?
This parable is a testament to the rewards of following through on the small things. The small things, when done in faith for the Kingdom’s purpose, God will accept. Like Zerubbabel, God gives greater works when we succeed with the small things. Remember Jesus’ words: …greater works than these shall you do, because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12).
Therefore, small things can inspire and allow the details of the bigger plan to unfold. Multiple small things resemble a jigsaw puzzle, where each piece may seem insignificant, but when combined with other pieces, the bigger picture becomes vivid. So, remember, we should do the small things faithfully, despite how it looks, so God's ultimate plan can unfold. This Scripture is a source of encouragement and reassurance, reminding us that our faithfulness in small things is not in vain but is part of God's grand design.
