A Little By Little - A Little Goes a Long Way

“The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.” (Deuteronomy 7:22, NIV).

Do you ever get overwhelmed by the size of the task in front of you? I certainly do. When I began writing this devotional, I stared at the blank page and blinking cursor, thinking to myself, how will I ever finish this? When we moved houses, I stared at the boxes, tape, and the belongings we had accumulated, and I stood paralyzed, unsure where to begin. When we decided to build a home, we stared at the land before us, excited but overwhelmed by how much needed to be done before we could live there.

You’ve been there too, right? Whether it is your job, family responsibilities, or personal goals, I’m sure you can relate. However, in these moments we have a choice. We can stare at our seemingly insurmountable tasks and stay stuck, or we can stare at our Savior and start moving toward our goal, one step at a time. I don’t always get this right. But, when I do, I’m amazed by what a difference a little movement can make.

With my writing, one letter turned into one word, which turned into one sentence, which turned into one paragraph. The paragraphs together made a page and then a devotion. The same was true of packing boxes when we moved. I packed a little each day, moving from room to room, and after a month, the movers arrived, and the house was empty. The same was true for the construction of our new home. Each day we could see the evidence of the contractor’s work on our house. Within a year, we were staring at the same set of boxes, only this time we were unpacking them, again one room at a time.

While we wish we could snap our fingers or wave a magic wand to complete the tasks before us or solve our problems, life doesn’t work that way. So often we feel the pressure to “build Rome in a day,” but even God didn’t create the world in a day. He created the universe little by little. He could have created everything he wanted to in a moment, but he chose to create it in six days and rest on the seventh (Genesis 1). Good things take time and happen little by little.

God’s little-by-little approach applies not only to creation but also to how he often solves problems. Obviously, God has the power to fix anything instantly, but sometimes his answers come in small increments. In the book of Exodus, God told the Israelites he would destroy their enemies, but not all at once. He said, “I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:29-30, NIV).

Through these examples we can see not all of God’s solutions are instantaneous, but his purposeful delay does not justify our inaction. In the case of the Israelites, God’s plan required constant cooperation and persistence. Their success toward the Promised Land occurred step by step.

God could miraculously and instantaneously change our lives. But as demonstrated in Scripture, it is evident he chooses to help gradually, teaching us one lesson at a time to sanctify and sharpen us. We can trust God to make up the difference between where we want to be and where we are now. And, when we look back on it all, we will see a miraculous transformation that transpired little by little.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for giving me examples in Scripture. When I feel overwhelmed by the tasks before me or the enormity of the problems surrounding me, show me the next small step. I trust that, little by little, I am being molded into who you want me to be. Help me be patient in the waiting and give me encouragement to carry on until my task is complete. Amen.

Think about your life and reflect on how God has taken your little a long way. What small step is he prompting you to take today?