Do Not Despise Small Beginnings -- part 2
Mothers of Nations, let’s continue with our topic “Don’t Despise Small Beginnings.” If you did not read last week’s introductory entry, I would encourage you to do that first before moving on with today’s discussion.
Let’s start by looking at the lives of three Bible characters that all experienced “small beginnings” in their journeys of serving God.
MOSES:
He was a little baby that was placed in a basket and floated on a river to save his young life. Yet from the experiences that followed that very small beginning, he became a leader of a nation, a deliverer to his people! God gave Him the 10 Commandments and Moses also imparted the wisdom he had gained through the years to Joshua so that Joshua could continue to lead God’s chosen people.
SAMUEL:
Through the small beginning of a woman praying for a child, the Lord answered that prayer and gave her a son named Samuel. That child then grew and learned to recognize the voice of the Lord. From that small beginning Samuel became a strong prophet to the nation and was destined to anoint kings.
1 Samuel 1: 11-20 -- 11 And she (Hannah) made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” 15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” 18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. 19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
JESUS:
Jesus came as a tiny baby into this world, a small beginning most certainly to the natural eye. Yet the destiny of Mary’s child was greater than anyone could ever imagine!
Matthew 1: 18-21 -- 18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Mothers of Nations, why do you think the devil wants to have babies aborted? Because these “small things” can change the course of the world!
Next week we will continue this topic by looking at other “small things” described in the Scriptures. Have a blessed week and remember, don’t despise the small things!
Dr. Sharon Predovich
