When Small Means Big

Scriptures: Mark 12:41-43, Romans 8:28

When Small Means Big

While we might look at some things as small, God sees small things under the microscope of meaning and purpose. He knew we would struggle with feeling small and insignificant. I think that is why God emphasizes small things. Today we are going to look at a story in Mark chapter 12:41-44: 

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’” 

This widow dropped literally everything she had in the offering. Why did God include this story in scripture? Because things we might consider “useless” or “minor” have great worth in the eyes of God. 

Romans 8:28 is often quoted when referring to deep-rooted trauma or when things are a mess. Taking another look at Romans 8:28, let’s see what it says: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” The word all is important to note here. Sometimes, I know I can downplay the things I do or feel. But if God says all things, that includes the small details. God emphasizes this often in the Bible about using small things, like a mustard seed of faith, a boy and his lunch being used to feed 5,000, and the story of Gideon. If God is making and using so much out of what we see as small, I think it is important not to downplay His glory and power to use and make significant the “small” things. Doing small things reminds us of how big God is. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, humble my heart to admit that small things matter to you. Thank you for seeing me, loving me, and chasing after me. I pray for wisdom and discernment to actively listen to your voice, knowing you have my life in your sovereign hands. Thank you for who you are and for covering me with your safety. Amen.

Scriptures: John 9, Psalms 139:2

God Hunts Down the Rejected

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ So the man went and washed, and came home seeing” (John 9:1-7). 

How often do we Christians feel we have to do big things for God to make a difference in others’ lives or feel good about ourselves? Do we need to be on the stage leading worship or preaching? Have a leadership title that’s known to others? Or maybe be asked to head up an event or project? Where in your life do you feel small today? Maybe it’s with friends, at work, or maybe with family? In this story in John 9, Jesus healed a man who was born blind. The man went into the synagogue, sharing and telling those about what Jesus had done for him in John 9:11, “‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’” 

How did the people respond to this amazing miracle? Let’s see in John 9:34, “To this, they replied, ‘You were steeped in sin since birth; how dare you lecture us!’ And they threw him out.” 

Wow. A man had just been made to see for the first time in his life, and yet he was rejected and dismissed! According to society, he was not important, and the words he spoke were pushed aside. Jesus shows us in the next verse (John 9:35) how he sees this man, “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’” It said when he had found him, the man who was unimportant to others was the same man Jesus sought out. The things we feel are unseen or unimportant, the actions that may go unnoticed, that is what God values. 

Nothing is too big or too small for God. If it matters to you, it also matters to God. Psalm 139:2 says, “You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” That is how intimately He knows you! 

God makes it repeatedly clear how He cares about the small stuff. What a loving and caring God that He would know His children would struggle with feeling unseen, and they do not matter, like the small things. If God says He will use everything in your life, wouldn’t that include the small things? 

Prayer: God, thank you for caring about the details of my life. When I feel unloved or what I am doing does not matter, continue to grow me and allow me to see your hand in everything. You are holy and sovereign, and every word you speak will come to pass. Please allow my life to be an example of your love and who you are. Allow me to see and care for others the way you see them and to love them the way you have loved them.

Scripture: Psalms 139:7-10

An Upside Down Kingdom

God’s kingdom is an upside-down one. He prizes things that matter little to the world. The unseen are seen, and the unimportant are given great value. Queen Esther was marginalized and objectified as a woman in her culture, yet God raised her up to deliver her people from death. Jesus, Savior of the world, slept in an animal’s troth, swaddled in ripped rags. Gideon defeated 135,000 Midianite troops with his army of 300 men. David took down Goliath, a giant with a small stone. 

God uses small people and things for a bigger and glorious purpose. 

David writes in Psalm 139:7-10: 

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” 

God knows everything about David: his thoughts, where he goes, and at the very end, David says, “even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”God is holding every single aspect of your life in His hands. 

“God, where are you? What are you doing? Have you forgotten me?” can be the understandable cry of the suffering Christian? Sometimes what can remind us that God is with us in our trials is simply considering the little ways He is helping, providing for, and strengthening us. 

Prayer: God, sometimes I feel so small to you. I wonder if you realize I’m afraid and struggling. Do you notice me? Are you aware of how invisible I feel? Please help me see the small ways you are working in my life right now. I want to see you at work, and I can’t do that right now without your help. I need you, Lord. Help me.

Scriptures: Mark 4:30-32, Ezekiel 17:22-24

When Small is Better

Mark 4: 30-32: 

“Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?’ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke mentioned the parable of the mustard seed. Why is this mentioned several times throughout the gospels? For background, mustard seeds are some of the smallest, yet they can grow to 10 feet high. Jesus describes the picture of “birds can perch in its shade.” The smallest of beginnings can end up providing safety and shade to many! 

Likewise, Ezekial prophecies about this very scripture when he says, 

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it” (Ezekial 17:22-24). 

God is talking about the growth of His kingdom! Birds find shelter from a seed that seems so insignificant you can hardly see it. What a picture of the powerful way God uses small things. 

Jesus also points out that a mustard seed – the “smallest of seeds on earth” – turns into “the largest of all garden plants.” Jesus uses seeds and trees to teach us a powerful lesson: small beginnings can produce a life-changing impact. Three times in the gospels, it mentions how the birds find shelter and comfort under the branches: 

Matthew: (13:2) “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 

Mark: (4:32) “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 

Luke: (13:19) “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.” 

This prophecy is also mentioned in Daniel 4:12: “Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.” This is the kingdom of God, life-giving! 

If God is in us and cares about our emotions, downplaying how we feel or what we are experiencing is taking away room for God’s loving care at work. In this upside-down Christian kingdom where little things make a big impact, it is no wonder the enemy wants us to downplay or disregard how we feel because he knows our smallness is what God wants us to use the most to do big things. 

Prayer: Lord, it can be hard for me to believe or understand fully that you do big things through small people like me. Or that the small things happening in my life are important to you. Help me to see myself and my circumstances through your eyes. I want to believe you are at work in me in ways I can’t see, but I need your help. Give me eyes to see what I am missing, and help me to believe that you’re at work in me.

Scriptures: Matthew 17:20, Luke 16:10

The Hard Path of Humility

If you’re like me, you’ll admit that even after several days of talking about how God uses small things, it’s still hard to believe. It’s hard to see the “mustard seeds” in our lives as opportunities for great growth. Is God working in the unseen, furthering His kingdom, and strengthening his children through those who aren’t on the stage doing “great” things? 

No one would have ever thought a mustard seed would be able to move mountains! Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, 

“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.’” 

Moving mountains is a big deal. Imagine the amount of equipment and the number of years it would take to move a mountain from where it stands into the sea? Yet once again, God is letting us know that small doesn’t mean weak or incapable. Our small acts of service – caring for children, giving to the poor on the side of the road, speaking encouraging words to a friend, or following through when we commit to something – point to a God who says that “being faithful in the little things is faithful in much” (Luke 16:10). Our small acts of love and faith can move mountains of fear, shame, hopelessness, and fatigue in those around us, one small decision at a time. 

Why do we minimize the little things God calls us to and resist the humility and growth that will come? It can be hard and discouraging to recognize the small steps toward growth when we long for big opportunities to make a difference in such a broken world. There is hope when we acknowledge God is working in the small and unforeseen things to spread the kingdom like wildfire throughout the earth. He’s using the gift of humility and weakness for glory and redemption! Just as Jesus did on earth, humbling himself and dying on a cross for our redemption, this one story of a mustard seed is mirroring the image of God’s plan all along. 

Prayer: God, I admit it. I’m proud. I can be blind sometimes and only see You working when something big happens. I don’t have eyes to see the small steps I’m taking to grow. Too often, I fail to see the work You’re doing in others’ lives, too, because it’s just not big and obvious enough. Help me be content with small acts of service and the difference they can make in others’ lives. I can only do this with Your help.