The God of Omnipotence... and the small

As I have shared ad nauseam, I'm sure, I love Thanksgiving! I love the time with family; I love the weather (not too cold but not too hot); I love the food (maybe I should say, I LOVE the food); I love the pace (not yet the insanity of Christmas); I love the opportunity to give thanks to the Lord for His overwhelming blessings; I love the indians; and I love, love, love the pilgrims. And every year, I always search for the perfect thanksgiving devotion to read daily the month before Thanksgiving with my family. I never find it, because, of course, there is no such thing as perfection on this earth--both in devotions and in this terribly, awfully imperfect heart of mine. Early this morning, however, as I was reading my One Year Bible on the elliptical machine, it was if the Lord put it on my heart--"Emily, why don't you just write a little something everyday in the days leading up to Thanksgiving?" While I know my ideas and words are generally pretty lame and inadequate, I also know that the Lord's promptings are generally--okay, ALWAYS--to be obeyed, no matter our feelings. So, here goes! My ramblings tend to be pretty irregular, but by the grace of God I will try to share something here everyday as a way to remind my family (and ungrateful me) of the goodness and greatness of God and the absolute necessity to GIVE THANKS! (And I happened to look at the calendar, and, wouldn't you know it, it is exactly one month until Thanksgiving! God, You are sovereign--and You have quite the sense of timing... and humor!)

So, for today, I just want to thank God for something I read in the One Year Bible today. It's from the Old Testament book of Zechariah. A small band of the Israelites have returned to the decimated city of Jerusalem and are trying to rebuild the temple destroyed so horrifically by the Babylonians a number of years earlier. They are encountering all kinds of opposition--both from within and without, and I can't help but think they were sorely tempted to give up and pack it in. But the Lord speaks to His people and tells them: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'" (Zech.4:6-7)

How I love that verse! Forget the circumstances. Forget all your weaknesses and lacks. Forget all about the size of the obstacle looming before you. Forget all about you and what you can and can't do. It's all about God and His power and might and sufficiency. We might be just one failure after another waiting to happen. But if His Holy Spirit lives within us, then there is just no telling what He can do in and to and through us. And He has promised that He will bring to completion that which He has started--in our families, in our lives, in our friends. He can level that mighty mountain. He can raise that crumbling temple.

And one more verse I just love: "Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel." (Zech.4:10) I'll tell you who despises the day of small things--I do, you do. All those little dumb nit picky things that life throws at us everyday that worry and wear us down. All those things on our to do list that we can't ever seem to get done. All those times we have to bite our tongues and not respond to a family member or friend in anger or frustration. All those aches and pains we suffer silently. All those problems with the plumbing or the yard or the car. All those meetings and deadlines and meals and chores. All those little disappointments or fears that nibble at our faith. O yes, we despise the day of small things.

But the Almighty Lord, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe does not despise the smallest of things. He notices. He cares. He moves. He acts. He controls. He restores. He redeems.

So today, will you thank Him for His omnipotence? For His power that knows no limits and has the power to tear down and to raise up? And will you thank Him that He knows and cares about even the smallest of your struggles and doubts and concerns and tasks?

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving." Ps.95:2 To Him be all the glory--from the greatest to the littlest.