Small but not Insignificant
by Paul Griffin
Have you ever felt small and insignificant? Perhaps you felt this way in the presence of people who seemed so much more knowledgeable than you, or who had more wealth than you, or who were full of self-confidence and self-importance. Perhaps you felt this way when a parent, a teacher or even a friend put you down or ridiculed you in some way.
If you have ever felt like this, you are in good company. Gideon, when chosen by God to defeat the Midianites, felt like this and declared, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15-16). I guess Moses, when chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, felt like this and spoke out, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13).
King David, I believe, felt small and insignificant as he gazed into the star filled sky and realised the immensity of the universe and the awesomeness of the God who created it. Despite only being able to see the 4,500 or so stars visible to the naked eye and ignorant of the billions of stars that scientists have since discovered with their powerful telescopes, King David expresses his feelings in today’s verse – ‘When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?’ (Psalm 8:3-4).
Despite our miniscule size compared to the vastness of God’s creation, these verses remind us that we are not insignificant but are in God’s thoughts, and that He cares for us. The psalmist goes on to declare that, though we may be small, we are created only a little lower than the angels, that we are crowned with glory and that God has given us dominion over His creation (Psalm 8:5-8).
It is beyond our full comprehension how God, who created the vast universe of which we by comparison are only a very small part, can relate to each one of us individually, but this fact is foundational to our Christian faith. The God of the whole universe knows each one of us by name. ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine’(Isaiah 43:1).
Jesus, Himself, reiterates this great truth in these words, ‘Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?’ (Matthew 6:26).
Prayer: Almighty God, thank You that You created me. Thank You that, even though at times I feel small and insignificant, I am in Your thoughts. Help me to see myself as You see me. Thank You that You care for me and have a plan and purpose for my life. Amen.
Paul Griffin Paul spent 20 years working as a chemical engineer for an oil company in South Africa, the Middle East and Japan prior to going to Bible College. Paul and his wife Liz have been involved with Ellel since 1991 and are associate teachers as well as being authors of the books ‘Anger …How do you Handle it?’ and ‘Hope and Healing for the Abused.’
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