The Power of One

I add a British “Hurrah!” to John Guest’s sermon on “The Power of One.” The Bible testifies from Genesis to Revelation that one individual – often an insignificant person – can be used mightily by God for His purposes and glory.

Do you think, though, that those individuals always realized their significance in God’s plan? Could Peter have predicted, when he stood to refute the accusation of drunkenness, that three thousand souls would be added to the fledgling church that Pentecost day? Was Stephen aware, as he sank under the volley of stones and cried “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” that he was giving a long and noble line of Christian martyrs a pattern to die by? Did Paul realize, as he penned letters to the churches at Philippi and Colosse and Ephesus from a lonely jail cell, that the Spirit was inspiring words that would richly nourish believers as long as time endured?

I think they each were just doing what they, solitary individuals, understood needed done in those moments, without calculating the outcome or having to see the larger picture. Certainly they were led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, but I don’t think they had any idea how much their contribution mattered.

We don’t either… and that’s something Satan tries to use to his advantage. He wants to use our shortsightedness to convince us our contribution doesn’t matter, our influence is minimal, and our efforts are worthless in the larger scheme of things. Like a predator stalking his prey, the enemy singles us out and tries to cut us away from the encouragement of the flock and the safety of the Shepherd. And then he begins tearing away at our souls:

*Do you really think you’re making any headway with that Sunday School class?
*You’ve been praying for that guy a long, long time. Nothing’s gonna happen!
*Have you compared your results with --? Shouldn’t you just sit down?
*Why do you dabble in little things? When will you do something that matters?

It’s a good thing Paul wasn’t cowed by the enemy into laying aside his pen and sinking into a gloomy silence in his jail cell. That Satan failed to force Stephen to recant in the face of a murderous crowd. That he couldn’t curb a Spirit-filled Peter from addressing the mockers that day at Pentecost.

Let’s not let the enemy cow us, either. If we’ve got a job to do, however small, let’s do it, believing that God can use the smallest and the most seemingly insignificant thing for eternal purposes. One brief prayer. One note of encouragement. One small act of obedience to His leading. It all matters.

And we’ll fully realize it, one Day, when He reveals to each of us the power of one.