“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord God! And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. For your servant’s sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and awesome things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? And you made your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God… and your name will be established and magnified forever… Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you, for it is you, O Lord, who have blessed, and it is blessed forever.'” 1 Chronicles 17:16-22,24a,27
David was overwhelmed with the attention, favor, and vast promise of God he knew by personal experience and through Nathan’s prophecy. Who was he, merely a youngest child and shepherd, whom the Lord had raised up to lead His people? And who was he, that the small thing of individual blessing should reach to forever? Who was this LORD God, uniquely loving and trustworthy, awesome and other? Only He could back a promise to do such things. (1 Samuel 16:7-13; 1 Chronicles 17:3-15; Psalm 8:1-5)
It’s natural to live small lives being wound up in small things. We get comfy in provincial interaction and narrow thinking, never entertaining the possibility of broader ideas, larger outreach, expanded territory or influence, or a legacy beyond those we know.
But God is eternal, and His blessings to us are intended to last long and spread wide and make a difference into forever. Tracing His hand through His fulfilled promises in and beyond biblical history is guaranteed to inspire loftier aspirations for us. We can behold the beauty in small and expect great and greater, then do what we can to bring it about.
What would change if our perspective were truly eternal? If we saw our lives as a small blip compared to everlasting? How differently might we order our days and hours, or reshuffle our priorities? What relationships might we invest in and activities increase, and which let go? How differently might we direct conversation, choose our words, or probe with questions? In what new ways might we use God-granted resources to have broader impact? What could we do today to make an impact in His kingdom presently, and for the future?
Lord, humble me before Your greatness, and keep alive my desire and willingness to be caught in its flow. Have Your way in every small part of me so Your great purposes are accomplished, and Your great Name extolled, forever.
As the rain and snow 