As we've seen last week God led a
group of Jews back to Jerusalem from their exiled life in Babylon.
He wanted them to rebuild the second Temple. He gave them all the
supplies that they needed to rebuild the Temple and He gave them
favor with the ruling authorities of the day. All they needed to do
was to start.
And start they did. They laid the
foundations and after they did, they praised God because the
foundation had been laid. There were joyful shouting and singing,
but many of the older priests, Levites and other leaders remembered
the temple of Solomon and wept, because this temple wasn't going to
be as beautiful and imposing as Solomon's and was surrounded by
ruins and not a thriving city (Ezra 3:12,13). They were saddened by
these small beginnings.
But it didn't matter to God, He
doesn't despise small beginnings:
"The hands of Zerubbabel have
laid the foundation of this Temple; his hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. For
who has despised the day of small things?"
In God's eyes the foundation was
wonderful. In His eyes it was the beginning of a nation turning
back to Him. In His eyes it was a rebuilding of their relationship
with Him. They needed the sacrifices in order to be able to have a
close relationship with Him. Jesus hadn't yet died, so they needed
the animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. And without that
atonement, God couldn't come near them as sinful people. Therefore
the Temple represented God's closeness to the people, His presence
with them. So God rejoiced that He could be near them once
again.
However the older people saw the
small beginnings and cried, yet God met them in their despair and
helped them to rebuild the Temple.
Today when we follow the voice of
the Lord the beginnings may be small too. We might dream of bigger
things and we might even receive a vision from the Lord where He
wants to lead us. But remember two things when you start out with
what the Lord has placed in your heart and it doesn't grow as fast
as you would have liked:
Number one, if you look at your
situation from an earthly viewpoint, all things begin small. No
athlete wins the 100m in record time without training. No business
lists on the stock market within a month of opening. No scientists
discover great things without at least maturing in his field. No
new born baby starts talking and walking within the first month.
Certain things take time. Unfortunately humans are not very
patient. They want to see things happening a.s.a.p. They do not
want to take the time to allow what God had placed in their hearts
to mature. If they do not allow that time and force things to
happen, the timing will be off and the success will not manifest as
they might have hoped.
Number two. In God's eyes nothing
is small. He doesn't see what you are doing for Him as small. He
sees your obedience, He sees your dedication and He sees your
effort. And He will reward it in due time. But also remember, His
reward might remain 'small' in the world's eyes, but what you are
doing is making a massive difference in the spiritual realm. Always
remember that and do not allow the devil to tell you that you are
not amounting to anything. If you are following God's will, you are
a huge success in this world!
Do not despise small beginnings.
Spend time with God, listen to what He has to say and follow Him.
Then whatever happens is fine. Just remain in His will. And if you
battle to hear His will and you are truly spending time with Him,
then do good and do what is right, there where you are. Reach out
to others and walk each step in His peace. When His peace lacks,
you know you need to make adjustments. But do not despise where you
are, rather look up and walk with your head in the clouds,
expecting His grace, His unearned favor to follow you.
Father, help us to hear Your voice
and to follow You. And once we do, please give us the courage not
to cry at our small beginnings, but rather to embrace life with You
and to dance in the rain even though we don't feel like it.
Amen