Psalm 105:12-15 - October 16, 2009

Ps 105:12-15 "When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, 13 they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 14 He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: 15 "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm." NIV

God loves small beginnings! Do you? This passage in Psalm 105:12-15 is hope for every spiritual dreamer; every person who is chasing the vision that God has put in their heart that has not yet blossomed into fullness. It is important that we understand the heart of the Lord and His patience towards the things that He has promised us. The Living Bible translation states this principle very well in Zech 4:10 where the prophet declares “Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin, to see the plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel.” God rejoices in the process of faith far more than we do. Our tendency is to focus on the completion or the goal but God celebrates every step of faith taken in His name and when we begin a work we bring Him as much joy as when we finish a work if it is done through faith.
It is so important that we not become discouraged along the journey of faith. Abraham spent his entire life searching for a city that he never found and yet he was considered a great man of faith. God evaluated his life based on the pursuit of the dream not on the completion of the journey. It is powerful in this passage to see the stewardship of God watching over the dream that He had placed in the hearts of His servants as they walked out the calling. As the covenant people wandered from nation to nation, very few in numbers the Lord was watching over them like a mother hen her chicks. He allowed no stranger to oppress them, He changed the hearts of government leader to place favor upon His servants. He even rebuked Kings in the visions of the night for their sake, telling these leaders to do no harm to His prophets.
There is great news in this passage as we understand its implications. God cares about the vision He has placed in your heart. He loves it more than you do. He is watching over you and it and delights even in the prolonged seasons of weakness. He allowed His people to wonder as pilgrims for decades in Canaan, be enslaved for centuries in Egypt, be refined and purified for forty years in the wilderness all as a part of fulfilling a plan that was much larger than anyone but He Himself could grasp in the midst of those long hard years. This passage assures us with hope that we can rest in the comforting knowledge that if the dream came from God He will not let it return to Him without accomplishing what He sent it forth to do. Though the season may seem long and hard know today that God is working in the unseen places to perfect the conditions and timing of the dream and also to prepare you for its fulfillment. Make the most of the seasons of waiting by preparing the soil of your heart and of your circumstances to receive the fullest measure of all that God wants to do in and through you.