When Small Means Bigনমুনা

God Hunts Down the Rejected

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 'Go,' he told him, 'wash in the Pool of Siloam' So the man went and washed, and came home seeing" (John 9:1-7).

How often do we Christians feel we have to do big things for God to make a difference in others’ lives or feel good about ourselves? Do we need to be on the stage leading worship or preaching? Have a leadership title that’s known to others? Or maybe be asked to head up an event or project? Where in your life do you feel small today? Maybe it’s with friends, at work, or maybe with family? In this story in John 9, Jesus healed a man who was born blind. The man went into the synagogue, sharing and telling those about what Jesus had done for him in John 9:11, “‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’”

How did the people respond to this amazing miracle? Let’s see in John 9:34, “To this, they replied, ‘You were steeped in sin since birth; how dare you lecture us!’ And they threw him out.”

Wow. A man had just been made to see for the first time in his life, and yet he was rejected and dismissed! According to society, he was not important, and the words he spoke were pushed aside. Jesus shows us in the next verse (John 9:35) how he sees this man, “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’” It said when he had found him, the man who was unimportant to others was the same man Jesus sought out. The things we feel are unseen or unimportant, the actions that may go unnoticed, that is what God values.

Nothing is too big or too small for God. If it matters to you, it also matters to God. Psalm 139:2 says, “You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” That is how intimately He knows you!

God makes it repeatedly clear how He cares about the small stuff. What a loving and caring God that He would know His children would struggle with feeling unseen, and they do not matter, like the small things. If God says He will use everything in your life, wouldn’t that include the small things?

Prayer: God, thank you for caring about the details of my life. When I feel unloved or what I am doing does not matter, continue to grow me and allow me to see your hand in everything. You are holy and sovereign, and every word you speak will come to pass. Please allow my life to be an example of your love and who you are. Allow me to see and care for others the way you see them and to love them the way you have loved them.