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The Pastoral Lens
Little Is Much When God Is In It
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
There is a well known and age-old chorus sung in the church that has this line: "Little is much when God is in it." It's one of those pithy phrases that has endured the test of time and conveys a timeless truth, namely, you don't have to be big and important (in the eyes of the world) to do big and important things for God.This past Sunday afternoon I took a drive with my 3 daughters to Thamesville to attend the inductuion service for a new pastor. The small church was not full, but we were warmly greeted by an usher as we arrived. As we made our way to our seats we began to go over the special bulletin which was prepared for this service. There were no famous singers or preachers on the program, just a few faithful people I had never heard of before. The speaker for the day was actually the new pastor's adult daughter. A self-confessed Sunday School teacher, and not a preacher, she delighted the crowd by handing out M&M's to any folks who answered correctly her questions she posed in her message. The soloist, an early sixties-something woman from the pastor's previous church, delivered a touching message in song. The pastor himself led the hymn singing with all the gusto of a symphony orchestra conductor. My daughters and I came away from the service having had a pleasant time of worship with fellow believers from various churches. Billy Graham didn't preach and Anne Murray didn't sing, but the presence of the Lord was there, that's for sure. Little is much when God is in it.
Once upon a time Israel was arrayed in battle formation against a formidable foe. The Philistine's had all the weapons, and many men, while the Israelite army had but 2 swords in total, one for the king and the other for the king's son. If this wasn't bad enough, the 9-foot-tall Philistine champion, Goliath, was taunting Israel and challenging them to send one of their men to fight him. The winner would have the other's army as their personal slaves. The situation was as bleak as it could possibly be until a young man stepped forward to challenge the giant. The young shepherd boy, David, who was no more than 10-12 years old, declared boldly that he would defeat the giant and restore courage to the flagging morale of the Hebrew army. At first, no one took the young boy seriously, but he was not to be turned away. He explained that he had protected his father's sheep from lions and bears, and this mean giant would join those ranks of the defeated. He didn't have a spear, but he could wield a slingshot. With just one shot he felled the giant and led his countrymen in the ensuing rout of the Philistine army. A 9-foot-tall giant was no match for a small shepherd boy. Little is much when God is in it. This whole story is recorded for us in the Old Testament, in 1 Samuel 17.
So, what's holding you back from being where you want to be in life? Do you feel you are too insignificant to make a difference in the circumstances of your life? I'm glad nobody told our editor that back when he started this online newspaper. What began as a fairly small speck on the horizon of newspaper publishing has grown into a significant weekly dose of good news media for the Chatham-Kent area and all points touched by the power of the internet. Indeed, little is much when God is in it. Personally, I have prayed for this paper and truly believe it is God's blessing that is the real secret to its success. All of us have God-given talent that can be harnessed and used for the Master. What are you doing with yours?
