6 Ways Jesus Placed Great Value on Small Things is a guest post I wrote in 2018, and I’m republishing it today here on my blog to inspire your faith again.

6 Ways Jesus Placed Great Value on Small Things

I live in the woods, and the wild birds flock to my feeders. During the day I hear the gentle peck, peck, peck of their little beaks snapping up sunflower seeds. Slow and quiet, I sneak up to the window to watch them feeding on the deck.

I’m captivated by their different colors, shapes, and sizes. Their quick moves and endless appetites.

Each bird is small enough for me to hold, if they would let me. But they are afraid of me and fly away if they catch a glimpse.

I marvel at the birds’ freedom. Their ability to soar as high as they can. Their instinct to migrate back to my woods, year after year.

But like me, birds are bound by the laws of nature. In some ways, their world is even harsher than mine.

Yet God continues to provide for the birds, no matter what life brings them. He wants me to learn that lesson for myself.

Every time I watch, the birds remind me about God’s care for small things.

Do Small Prayers Matter?

Have you ever felt like your small prayers don’t really matter? That only the big prayers count?

Maybe you are like me. You grew up hearing others ask you to pray for big things.

Cancer. Car wrecks. Crisis. Those prayers have heft…meaning…purpose.

But how many times has someone asked you to pray for a small thing?

I’m guessing never.

Small prayers stir private embarrassment.

We pray to the God who created the sun, moon, and stars. The Lord over all creation. The Giver and Sustainer of life.

How in the world can our smallest prayers matter to Someone that big?

We are too embarrassed to pray them ourselves, much less ask others to pray them for us.

Small prayers whisper the question, “Does God really care?”

The Bible shouts, “Yes!” Here’s how.

6 Small Things That Mattered to Jesus

Jesus loved using small things to show how much His power shines through small channels. Let’s look at six examples.

1. Birds

In Matthew 6:26, Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

God lovingly provides for the birds, and He cares even more for us. He doesn’t want us to worry about our provisions, just like the birds don’t worry about theirs.

Next time you have a small worry about provisions, offer it up as a prayer. Tell God you are trusting Him to provide, just like the birds trust Him for food.

2. Flowers

Jesus drew another parallel in Matthew 6:28-29. He said, “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

Can you imagine? King Solomon, one of the wealthiest and most revered kings in all history, could not compare in beauty to a tiny wildflower growing on a hillside. Some flowers last only one day, yet God delights in their glorious beauty, just as He delights in yours.

Do you worry about your appearance? If you’re like me, it’s a secret worry. Every time you see a blemish, gray hair, or wrinkle, whisper a small prayer to God. Trust that He always considers you beautiful.

Read more about how wildflowers can inspire your faith.

3. Mustard Seed

Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. He tells us, “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

If you have seen round, yellow seeds left over in pickle juice, those are mustard seeds. Do you believe that God can use small faith to move mountains? That nothing is impossible as long as you have faith?

Even in the small things like having energy for the day or discipline to lose a few pounds, share your small prayers with God. Your faith will grow the more often you give God mustard-seed-sized prayers. He will teach you that nothing is impossible, even with small faith.

4. A Child’s Lunch

In John 6:1-14, Jesus tested his disciples to come up with enough food for the thousands who had gathered to listen to Jesus preach. Andrew found a boy with five barley loaves and two fish. He multiplied a child’s lunch to feed everyone with plenty of leftovers.

Even though the disciples thought the boy’s lunch was insufficient, Jesus used the small offering to bless and fill so many. Our smallest offerings matter big-time to God.

What small material goods do you have that God can multiply? Maybe it’s a brownie mix that can bless a lonely neighbor. Maybe it’s a casserole that will take a load off a single mom. Pray over the items in your cabinets or pantry, asking God to show you how a little offering can help someone else.

5. A Widow’s Coin

One day Jesus and his disciples were watching rich people place money in the temple offering box. A poor widow came and put in two pennies, as told in Luke 21:1-4. Jesus spoke these words: “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Why did Jesus value the widow’s two copper coins? Her small gift showed her great trust in God’s abundant care. He asks us to trust Him with that kind of faith.

I’ve gone through times of financial hardship, but I always kept giving what I could. Even when giving was hard, it always increased my trust in God. Offer a small prayer today, asking God how you can sacrificially give so your trust can grow.

6. Soil

In the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Jesus speaks about the value of good soil. Hard, rocky, or thorny ground is not valuable. But good soil produces an abundant harvest, up to 100 times more than a single seed.

I love gardening, and every year I experiment with different plants. Plants grow best when the soil is rich, loose, moist and free from contaminants and diseases. That’s the kind of soil Jesus wants in our hearts so He can produce an abundant harvest through us.

Soil, or dirt, has lost its value in our sanitized culture. But Jesus says when our hearts are good, the soil inside is truly valuable. Will you offer a small prayer today about the type of soil you have in your heart? You can offer small prayers every time you discover a hard place, thorn, or rock inside your heart that blocks your faith.

By praying over all these areas Jesus valued, your faith will grow with each small prayer. This week, study the small things in your life and turn them into prayers. Trust that God cares will use the smallest prayers to draw you closer to Him and produce a great harvest through you.

This post originally appeared on the Living by Design blog.

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