Matthew 6:18 “…And thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”
In Zechariah 4:10, God asks, “For who hath despised the day of small things?” Most of the world’s population has never made their way to the small town of Garner, Iowa. This little spot on the map, however, is well known to God. It was here that J. Wilbur Chapman had been scheduled to preach a revival but canceled because God led him to step out of revival work and take a pastorate. He wrote the pastor of the little church in Garner letting him know that he would not be able to come for the meeting. The pastor was greatly disappointed and wrote to tell Chapman that he and the church family had already invested much prayer and preparation. Chapman replied, “I will send my assistant; he will do a fine job.”
When Chapman informed his assistant of this decision, the young intern was shocked and protested, “But, I don’t have any sermons!” Chapman took out the notes to eight of his well-known sermons and handed them to Billy Sunday and said, “Here, preach these. They are tried and tested.” Thus, the first revival that Billy Sunday preached was in a little town in Iowa with the sermons of his mentor, J. Wilbur Chapman, on January 3, 1897. God blessed that meeting with a miraculous, supernatural power, and from that humble beginning, a great work of revival began.
You may be virtually unknown in the world, and your ministry in the church may seem small and insignificant to those around you. But do not underestimate what God wants to do through you, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27 – 29). Be faithful in whatever you do and wherever you are. God will take care of the results.
This devotional is taken from “Revival Today”, by Dr. John Goetsch, Striving Together Publications, 2018.
