Big mountain, small steps, unexpected people: this is how God works
By Dean Collins
The big cities, the big companies, the big brands, the celebrities, the megachurches, the rich, and the famous get most of the media attention. But God tends to use the small, the less popular, and the mostly unnoticed to do significant work.
Mountain of rubble
It was a civic leader born in exile who received permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. He stood before a mountain of rubble when he began to lay the foundation. It must have been overwhelming to consider such an assignment. He was not a superhero with a cape. He was a man on a God-sized mission. Zechariah’s prophecy suggests that God knew Zerubbabel needed both encouragement and a reminder of how his assignment could possibly be accomplished.
There were no large cranes or bulldozers. Just people who were still a bit wobbly from years of exile and grieving their losses. These were the humble folks who began the task. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’re experiencing difficult times that even feel like a disaster, challenges that leave you wondering how to move on. With every step forward you hit a wall and bounce back two, three, even ten steps in the wrong direction.
Unexpected people
You might assess the situation and your abilities and decide what you face requires someone with more education, experience, and resources than you possess. But what if we consider that the word of the Lord given to Zerubbabel extended to all God’s children? What if God’s preferred method of accomplishing his kingdom work always begins with small things and unexpected people? The word of the prophet is, “ For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice.”
I suspect most of us don’t originate from the rich and famous nor do we have Ivy League educations. I doubt I have any readers who come from royalty. Maybe your origins are similar to mine. My father was born in Mulberry Gap, Tennessee, population 651. My mother was born in Sebring, Ohio with a population of 4,231. Neither finished high school. I was born in Vestaburg Michigan, with a booming population of 2,921. I work in a town of 3,855 in West Point, Georgia and I live in Lanett, Alabama along with 6270 citizens. And I lead Point University with her roughly 1,700 students.
Big mission
As I think about the challenges in the economy, the workforce, the culture, and higher education, it seems like a mountain of obstacles. But I’ve been given a mission to do the kingdom work of educating students to be Christ-centered servants and leaders who impact the world. It’s a big job with big barriers in the way.
But every week I watch God do his work in the lives of students and in the small communities we serve. Zerubbabel wondered how he could finish his work, but the prophet Zechariah assured him that God declared he would complete the temple. What we know is that no matter how large the task or limited the abilities, we have a God who is able to do exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine.
Unlimited Spirit
So today go ahead and acknowledge all your deficits. Go ahead and consider the size of the wall or mountain in your way. But then remember not to despise the small things and determine to hold onto the Word of the Lord. It was true for Zerubbabel and it’s true for you as well:
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
The Lord will accomplish his work in us and through us. He specializes in doing God-sized work through people who simply are willing to let him!
Your time with God’s Word
Zechariah 4:1-10 ESV
Photo by Nourdine Diouane on Unsplash
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