DON’T DESPISE THE SMALL BEGINNING!

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

What do you do when the answer to your prayer is so small to fit your vision? How do you navigate that? What do you do when God gives you a seed after you prayed for a fruit? You know we often negate the fact that there are moments when God answers our prayers by giving us instructions and not necessarily the answer we prayed for. God answers our prayers in minuscule ways that we can easily disregard, especially if the vision is so big and we can’t seem to see the big picture. So I want to encourage you not to despise the small beginning. Read on.

• • Elijah’s character from this context
  • Lessons to learn from this scripture concerning the small beginning :
• Trust God’s word.
• God does not look at our shortcomings or inadequacy when giving us a promise
• Persistence is required as you navigate your small beginning.
• The small beginning doesn’t matter,
• Key Takeaway

God tells us not to despise the day of the small beginning. This is because, although the beginning seems small right now, the end will be glorious. And when we stay focused on cultivating the seed, the harvest will be greater than we ever imagined. God gave Elisha the word that there was an abundance of rain and also told him to inform King Ahab of the same. Now the back story was that Elijah was the one who prophesied that there would be drought and now God was asking him to go and give hope again. The famine lasted for 3 years.

⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” ⁴⁵ Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. 1 Kings18:41-46

I Kings 18: 41-46, give us such an example. God tells Elijah to go to King Ahab because He wanted to bring rain to the earth, to break the 3 year drought period. http://bible.us/1/1ki18.1.amp. Elijah heeds God’s instruction and shows himself to Ahab. He tells the king that he could hear the sound of an abundance of rain. Obviously, it was not evident in the natural realm, he could only perceive it in the spirit. Have you ever had something pop in your spirit that did not make sense in the natural realm?

Maybe you have an idea that seems so grand because, in the natural realm, it does not seem possible or practical. This was Elijah’s case. He talked about rain at a time when drought seemed like the norm. Elijah spoke of something that had been scarce for a very long time. In fact, the Israelites had lost all hope, believing for the rain to come.

Fast forward to verse 41, where Elijah now has to contend with God’s word to see it come forth. He bows down, puts his face between his knees as a sign of total humility, and surrenders to God. He then gives his servant instructions to go towards the sea and check if there is a sign. Six times the servant comes back to him with the same report, which was, there was nothing. Six times! That must have been frustrating. First, because it was God who had told him to begin with. Second, he had already given King Ahab the said word. And now here he was, receiving negative feedback repeatedly. He however did not give up. Finally, on the seventh round, the servant comes with a seemingly positive report. He tells Elijah that he can see a cloud the size of a man’s fist.

You know, the thing we cannot realize is that just because God spoke a word does not mean that there is no part for us to play. Like I always say, although God is Sovereign, He wants to partner with us. Elisha had a part to play, and he did his part. In so doing, God did His part and the vision he had in his spirit came forth.

Elijah’s character from this context

Elijah’s response to his servant, who told him about the cloud the size of a man’s fist, was amazing. He told the servant to rush and tell King Ahab to quickly mount on his chariot and leave for Jezreel because the rain had come.

Can you imagine that the cloud’s size was so small, yet here was Elisha telling his servant to inform the king that the rain was coming? If you were the servant. I am sure you would have wondered what the fuss was all about. After all, it takes time for the clouds to form and gather before rain can come forth. But Elisha had so much faith after his servant told him of the cloud. All he needed was a sign. He did not care about the small beginning. And once he got the sign, he immediately acted on it and tended to it.

He had faith. When God told him that there was an abundance of rain, he believed it, although he could not see the evidence of it in the natural. He trusted that because God told him he would honor it. In fact, we see his level of faith because he even gave King Ahab his word. Let us not forget that at the time of him telling the king, they were in a 3 year drought period.

Elisha had so much faith in God. He trusted that God who had told him there was an abundance of rain was going to keep his promise. And to put his faith into action, he went ahead and told the king the same. Can you picture how ridiculous he must have sounded talking about rain when there was an abundance of rain at a time of drought? Have you ever had to go on a word that was contrary to your environment? Has God ever given you a promise that sounded so good to be true?

He was persistent. Despite the negative feedback from the servant, he continued pressing in and did not give up until he broke through. Elijah’s servant brought a negative report 6 times, but Elijah did not allow the negative report to deter him. He still persisted regardless of what his servant reported to him.

Lessons to learn from this scripture concerning the small beginning :

Trust God’s word.

When God gives you a word, trust that it will come to pass. God is faithful to keep His promises. He cannot deny Himself. So be sure that He watches over His word to perform it, and He is not a man that He should lie. Stand on His word until it comes to pass. Remember, God will always have the final say in a matter.

When God gave Abraham the promise that He would make him a great nation, Abraham believed what God said. Mind you, Abraham at the time had no child, and his wife was barren. He however did not let this deter him from believing in God. You take seeing in the spiritual realm to believe what God tells you. If you want to get to where you trust God’s word, you need to have a relationship with Him so that you can know his character. You can even read about what He has done in the past. This will help build your trust in Him. Sometimes for your faith to build up you will need to actively cultivate it through reading the word and also listening to other people talk about the things that God has done for them. Your faith will cultivate the small beginning.

God does not look at our shortcomings or inadequacy when giving us a promise

When God told Elijah that there was an abundance of rain, He did not look at the surrounding. He simply gave him a word and that was it. This is one thing we need to realize. God sees things differently and He will never look at the natural real because He knows how to bring forth something from nothing. When God was giving Elijah that word, there had been no rain for 3 years and there was no sign of a cloud in the sky.

Maybe God has given you a word that seems impossible, today I want to encourage you to stop looking at the natural wondering how it was going to happen and trust that the God who told you know the how and the when and all you need to do is trust that He will do it. The natural environment will always contradict the promise that God gives.

David was the least likely candidate to become king, yet God chose him. In the natural realm, it did not look like it would be possible, but God, in His perfect way and timing brought it to pass. This is the same case with Mary. It made little sense in the natural how Mary would be with child, but when Mary yielded to God’s ways, God brought it to pass His own way. God will never look at your inadequacy because He knows how He will bring it to pass. Today resolve to trust God to do what He has spoken and quit worrying about the when and how. Leave that to God. He knows how He will bring forth what He has spoken over your life. And although to you it looks like a small beginning, God can see the bigger picture.

Persistence is required as you navigate your small beginning.

When it seems like your prayers aren’t yielding much, don’t give up because when you don’t you will reap your reward. Elijah had to keep at it 7 times before he could see his breakthrough. This goes to show us that even when God gives us a word, we have to war with it until it comes forth. God is looking for people who will partner to see His will come forth on earth. Although God is Sovereign, He will not violate our free will and if we want to see His will come forth, we have to partner with Him. When you feel like giving up, remember the story in Luke 18.

There was a widow who was looking for justice and had to go to an unjust judge to get justice. It was because of her persistence that she got justice. The prayer of the persistent person yields much. Never give up because you don’t know how close you are to your breakthrough. Can you imagine if Elijah had given up after the 5th trial? What about the 6th one? The rain would probably have been delayed because of his failure to press on. The Bible reminds us that we will reap a reward if we faint not. So remember that there is a reward for your perseverance and on the other side of your persistence is your breakthrough. Be persistent in your small beginning. Don’t give up when it does not make sense. Keep going.

The small beginning doesn’t matter,

Do not allow the small beginning to deter you, if you tend to it, it will grow to unimaginable heights. A mustard seed is very tiny, but from it sprouts an enormous tree. Just because something looks small now doesn’t mean it will never grow. He is the God of multiplication and increase. He increased the oil of the widow of Zarephath.

Jesus multiplied the 5 loaves and 2 fish that fed 3000+ people. The Israelites were birthed from one man who was faithful and diligent with the little. Whatever you have now, although small, be faithful with it and watch it grow. Do not get distracted when it seems like what you have now is small compared to the goal you have in mind. Keep going and do not allow people who can’t see the bigger picture to tear you down.

There are times when you will require to have faith if you want to see the dream come to pass. Rome was not built in a day, but there had to be someone willing enough to build it. The dream and vision start with you. God tells us that when we are faithful with little, He will trust us with much. Start from somewhere. After all, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step.

Key Takeaway

Every tree started as a small seed. Your God-given vision will start from a small beginning and it will require your persistence and diligence for you to see it come to pass. Do not be discouraged when it seems like your prayers are not being answered because although it might not look like it something is happening behind the scenes. Your prayers change situations and they matter too. When God gives you a promise, believe Him and partner with Him because He is faithful to bring it to pass. Keep going and never forget that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

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• What To Know About God’s Promises.
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God has qualified you for the vision He placed inside you. He had already established that you will be the one to do it before he formed you in your mother’s womb. So your qualification does not come from your skills, but what is inside you. DON’T DOUBT YOURSELF. Rather, ask God to reveal to you what He thinks of you and when He does, follow what He says. Don’t quit on God or give up on the promises God spoke over you.