“Don’t despise small beginnings.” This is a popular phrase but it’s source may not be so familiar. It’s origin lies in the Bible in the book of Zechariah. Zechariah, a prophet, lived during the time period when the Jews had returned to Jerusalem after being held captive in Babylon. Zechariah was given the responsibility of providing spiritual encouragement to these seriously discouraged people. The Jews were free from captivity but before them was the daunting task of rebuilding God’s temple.
God gave Zechariah eight visions, each carrying a powerful message for His people. In chapter 4, Zechariah’s vision is specific to Zerubbabel, the man who was given the responsibility of managing the rebuilding of the temple. The original temple, built by King Solomon, was beautiful and grand, and after returning the Jews did not have the same resources available to them to rebuild the temple to such grand scale. Many of the older Jews were disappointed that the new temple would not match the splendor of the old one, however in verse 10 God says, “’Who despises the day of small things?’” God specifically chose Zerubbabel because he knew that through him the rebuilding of the temple would be done properly. God’s concern was not the size of the temple; He just wanted it to be completed correctly.
This passage teaches the lesson that when a God given opportunity presents itself, TAKE IT. It may not meet one’s expectations initially and the task may seem minimal or small but in actuality nothing is small with God. God is an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God and He sees the end of a thing before one even sees the beginning. Step out on faith and trust that God is willing and able to increase the seemingly small beginnings in one’s life.
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