“For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet [plumb line] in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (KJV, Zechariah 4:10).
That word small is the Hebrew qatan (Strong’s H6996). It means “young, small, insignificant, unimportant.”
How Heavenly Father views from His omnipotent, eternal perspective and how we view from our limited, often earth-bound perspective are completely different ways.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (NIV, Isaiah 55:9).
Scripture does not say that we cannot know Father’s thoughts; He does reveal, however, that His are higher. Often, if we do perceive His thoughts (direction, etc.), we don’t perceive their significance or importance.
Communicating His (Higher) Thoughts
The beautiful hymn describes a way He often communicates His thoughts to us.
“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
see, on the portals he’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.”
(Will L. Thompson, 1880).
The Lord communicates softly and tenderly with us. Once, He spoke to my spirit that He doesn’t speak loudly (as many of us often pray and/or wish) because He doesn’t like to yell at His children. Selah.
Because our lives are loud and our earth-bound thoughts lower than His, it becomes easy to not recognize or to dismiss His soft and tender calls as “young, small, insignificant, unimportant.”
Higher Answers
Father answers our prayers. He often answers them much larger than we anticipated. Our expectations, then, preclude us from comprehending the significance and importance of His soft, tender calls and direction for any part of our lives.
We may pray for healing, but He may answer with steps of direction to rebuild our bodies (Temple) in health.
Small Steps, Big Changes
During a very busy season in my life, the Lord softly spoke to incorporate a green (vegetable) drink in my mornings. Doing so led to increased energy and settled nerves. In a highly intensive season of physical pain in my life, the Lord softly spoke to walk five minutes a day. In 3-4 months, after barely being able to walk without pain, I hiked a mountain path with my family.
In a productive season of life, the Lord softly spoke through a friend to stop physically pushing myself so hard. Sometimes, we don’t recognize the signals our physical body is sending because we hurt all the time in some way. By continuing to push, however, we cause more pain to the body. It’s in our best interest to recognize and respond to the signals the physical body is sending. Heavenly Father designed them to give biofeedback to us. As I implemented this direction, I experienced an increasing reduction in physical pain.
Rebuild His House
In Zechariah 4:10, Father’s word is directed to those who are viewing the day as “insignificant” and “young” and “small” and “unimportant.” To all of us, He said, You will rejoice! Because the plumb line for My Temple is in the hand of My governor. It’s the plumb line that sets the vertical reference for construction.
When He originally spoke this word, it was to Zerubabbel, His governor chosen to rebuild His Temple after generations of unrepented idolatry led to its destruction. Generationally downstream of this event, you and I have experienced a version of this reality, too.
Father is literally re-forming, re-building us up-right – which is the first order of things. This reference causes the other systems to come into order for the purpose of His wonder-filled and awe-striking design (you and I).
His Temple is our physical body (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 3:16).
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 6:19).
He uses the plumb line of rightness (Isaiah 28:17).
“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line” (NIV, Isaiah 28:17).
He governs by the peace of Christ (Isaiah 60:7).
“Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler” (NIV, Isaiah 60:17).
Those seemingly insignificant and unimportant directions are His whispers to us and the gateway of the great good for which we’ve hoped and many times prayed for. Even beyond us, they are His promises and His purposes in motion of being fulfilled. He is building His Temple, you and I, with righteousness (everything working right, which makes us feel great!) in His peace.
What is Jesus softly and tenderly speaking to you?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Hope Streams
Featured Image by Karine LB from Pixabay
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