Zechariah 4:7, 10 Who art thou O great mountain?…For who hath despised the day of small things?…
How Big is Your God?
Two common misperceptions often keep us from seeing things as they are and from serving God as we should. Sometimes, we resist God’s plan because we think the obstacles ahead are too big. Sometimes we resist God’s plan because feel like our part is too small. In both cases, our problem is one of misperception.
It’s interesting to note how many of our perceptions in life are determined by the comparisons we employ. For instance, like me, many people live at 700 ft. elevation or lower. So, compared to our neighbors in gorgeous Colorado, who are known for their magnificent, 14,000-foot mountains, I’m living in lowland. But what if you take some magnificent mountain range in Colorado and compare it to Mount Everest where the summit is 29,028 feet? Your perception of what is high ground and what is low ground depends largely upon your comparisons. Likewise, as you look at the mountain peaks or obstacles ahead in your life, much of what you perceive depends upon the comparisons that you employ.
God’s people in Zechariah’s day were discouraged because of the obstacles they saw as they considered completing the temple, and also because they thought the work was too small as they compared this new temple to the splendor of Solomon’s temple. Both perceptions were misperceptions based on wrong comparisons.
When we serve in God’s strength, no obstacle is too big, and when we see things through God’s eyes, no work is too small. God’s Word to those rebuilding the temple was “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Then, God asks a question in Zechariah 4:7, “Who art thou, O great mountain?” What obstacle can be too big if we’re going in God’s Spirit and not our own strength? That’s not to say these people weren’t going to face obstacles, misunderstandings, and opposition, but no mountain they climbed was anything compared to the God Who was giving His Spirit to His work and His people.
God asks a second question in verse 10, “For who hath despised the day of small things?” In God’s sight this temple could not have been better, and if God is pleased, why would I be dissatisfied? In the eyes of God there is no small work.
Do you feel like your enemies are too big or your work is too small? When you see things through His eyes, and you do things through His strength, neither your purpose nor your power could be greater than they are.