The Day of Small Things

So I have made it through the exile of the Israelites, and they have now returned to Jerusalem with a decree from the new governing powers of the Near East (Cyrus and the Persian Empire) that they can and should rebuild their temple that was desecrated by the Babylonians decades ago. It's funny how after all the years of warning that the Israelites received about their sin and the possible consquences of it, the exile seems short. I have spent the past month or two reading about the years leading up to the exile, as prophet after prophet preached and begged Israel to repent, and now I feel like I read about the entire exile period in the past week or so.

Of course, it didn't seem short to them at the time. Living in captivity for 70 years, basically an entire lifetime, and knowing you will probably die before you ever see your homeland again, or realizing that you will never again get to worship your God freely... that experience can never be short enough. I just think of Daniel who lived faithfully in Babylon from his teenage years until the end of his life, just praying the whole time that God would have mercy so that his people could someday return home. And God was gracious and allowed Daniel to see, as an old man, the decree announced that the Israelties may go back to the Promised Land and rebuild their temple. God is meriful. After centuries of warning Israel to turn from their sin, their punishment lasted only decades.

So, now the Isralites are back in their homeland, faced with the task of rebuilding a temple that they feel will never compare to its former glory, facing opposition from local officials who don't want to see the Israelites get too powerful, and feeling like strangers in their own land, as many foreigners have settled there during the years of exile. The Israelites are discouraged and feel like they are living in "the day of small things" (Zech 4:10). Their task with the temple is daunting and slow, their heritage appears to be damaged forever, and they are strangers in their own land, just trying to get by day to day.

How often do we feel like that? I mean, I am not having a crossing the Red Sea on dry land-pillar of smoke-water springing from a rock-killing a giant with a stone-worshiping in a huge temple-defeating armies three times my size kinda day every day. Often my day seems like a day of small things. Doing my work diligently, learning to be a loving wife, challenging myself to serve with joy, smiling at the non-believer when all you really want to do is share the Gospel, but can't seem to find the words... the small things. And the small things aren't bad. Simplicity is a gift from God. God has called us to glorify Him in daily tasks. I Corinthians 10:31 says "whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." Well, the things I do, most of the time, aren't really that cool. I unload the dishwasher, grade papers, make dinner, go runnning, read my Bible. Yet, God says I am to do these things for His glory. Unload gladly, grade thoroughly with feedback that is helpful and encouraging to my students, provide a meal for my husband, run with a thankful attitude for the fully functioning, healthy body that the Lord has blessed me with, read my Bible with gratitude that I have Scripture available to me and with eagerness that the Lord will lovingly teach me through His word. This is my life. I am to take joy in the day of small things.

And, yet, I never know what the day of small things may bring. As the Israelites were struggling to build the temple, they had no idea what God had in store. Their work had been hindered. They had a foundation to a building and nothing else, and God promised "whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice" (Zech. 4:10). God's glorious conclusion to this time of struggle, was that the temple WOULD be rebuilt, a king of David's line would return to the throne eternally (Jesus!), and that God would "remove the iniquity" of his people (Zech. 3:9) and would sow "peace" in his Holy city (Zech. 8:12).

God uses the days of small things to do big, glorious things for His name and His kingdom. Years from now, I hope to look back and see that those nights of unloading the dishwasher and making dinner led to the legacy of a Godly family, that my tedious paper grading led to being able to be a light for Christ in the dark world of today's universities, that the smile I gave to a non-believer eventually turned into a conversation and an authentic relationship in which I was able to share my faith in the Gospel of Christ. If all of my days are a day of small things, I rejoice in that. But I know that God has big things in store, and I am thankful for any way that I get to be a part of them.