The day of small things
"WHOEVER HAS DESPISED THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS SHALL REJOICE" ZECHARIAH 4:10
The "small things" here were the laying of the foundation of God's house after the exile, which was not comparable to the first temple but was to be completed spiritually by Christ with shouts of great glory. God promised that the day would come when all who thought very little of this puny foundation would rejoice in the glory it had become.
He who despises the day of small things never stood with Elijah's servant and saw the cloud no bigger than a man's hand coming up from the sea. That same cloud became the rainstorm that put an end to the years of drought (1 Kings 18:41-45).
Don't despise the day of small things! Is a foundation being laid by God in your life, or is it not? If it is, don't despise it! God founded the entire structure of our redemption upon a very small word spoken to Adam and Eve and the serpent in the Garden. It seemed perhaps a small word of prophecy, but we have since learned not to despise such prophecy. That very word, that gospel, has since grown into a global spiritual structure called the church.
You may see the Lord's work in your life by small increments only—do not despise such a work. Your trust in Christ may be small as a mustard seed. The fruit of the Spirit may be barely visible in your heart at times. Your local church appears contemptible. Your Bible reading seems small and your prayers little. Your family worship is weak and without momentum. Your evangelism is quiet and awkward. Your resolve itself may be puny, but if you have it do not despise it. God put it there, and God is able to transform it all as he makes you more and more into a living stone in his glorious house.