Little is Much

At our monthly board meeting, board member Bill Slater (ELWA Hospital's founding pharmacist and newly ordain minister), gave the following devotional. It was such a good reminder of God's faithfulness in the past and how God takes delight in our humble offerings and using them mightily for His Glory, that we wanted to share it with you. Old-timers from ELWA can vividly remember listening to Dr. Bob Schindler sing one of his favorite songs, "Little is Much", and Bill used that as a starting point for his devotional.

"Little is much, when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame. There's a crown and you can win it. When you go in Jesus' name."

Zechariah 4:9-10, 9"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it. And thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven. They are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth."

1 Kings 20:27, The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country.

Judges 7:6-7, 6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men [out of 32,000]; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. 7 The LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home."

One of the consistent themes in Scripture is the apparent delight God takes in bringing about His purposes using small numbers of people or things, for example, the story of the 5 loaves and 2 fish feeding thousands..

Early in our time at ELWA Hospital, we asked God to provide the equipment needed to manufacture I.V. solutions. A visiting MD inquired about our plans and, before he left, gave $20 toward the $5000 (1973-74 dollars) cost of the equipment. Later on, more funds came in - as this M.D. shared about his time in Liberia, he made known the hospital pharmacy need. By the time the water distilling unit and other needed items came, the $5000 was on hand.

It would be easy to look at the ministry of EMA and come away discouraged - 40 or 50 scholarships in a country where thousands need schooling; a few orphans given help in a country with thousands of needy children. Judy's June entry for the EMA+USA 2011 year in review told of the provision of a new transmitter and mixer board, and the November entry records their preservation from destruction in the Studio fire.

God's purposes are stronger than fire.

Jeremiah 36:23, When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe's knife and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier...32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them. (And, as Jeremiah 22 records, the kingly line of Jehoiakim ended with his son, Jechoniah.)

1 Kings 19:12, And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

As we listen for the still small voice, do what we can, trusting that little is much when God is in it, we may confidently expect God to act.

Here is a link to hear Dr. Bob Schindler sing Little is Much.wma , from his album "Dr. Bob Schindler Sings!". You can also find it at his son John Schindler's website, John Schindler Ministries, on the album "My God is Real".