A Pebble Falling

 A tiny pebble falling into a large body of water like an ocean does not make a very large splash. The minuscule ripples spread out for a moment and then disappear. That is the way it is with many people's lives. We are pretty ordinary. We live out our allotted number of days. We are like small pebbles dropped into the ocean of history. We make a tiny splash that spread a few ripples that soon disappear. What if...

What if God took those tiny ripples traveling across the ocean and God blew the wind of His spirit over the waters elevating those ripples into giant waves that spread to other distant shores thousands of miles away and impacting the lives of many? What if that tiny pebble had the same impact as a giant Boulder, or even an avalanche of boulders tumbling into the ocean. That is possible. It has been done before. 

It happened to a college drop out, who ministered in a small obscure place, laboring for only four years, and then dying at the age of 29. That sums up the life of David Brainerd. He was expelled from college for criticizing a professor and never allowed to reenroll. This eliminated his eligibility to ever serve as a pastor. He chose to be missionary to native Indians around the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. He labored alone. He coughed up blood continually. He persevered through difficult circumstances. The Indian hearts were often hard. The fruit of his labors were hard to see at times. He had to travel 15 miles to get any bread. If he bought bread in quantity it molded before he could eat it. Did I mention he coughed up blood continually especially in the winter months when the smoke from the fire inside often choked him forcing out in the bitter cold to breathe. That caused him to cough up more blood. In the end, he died at 29. Providentially he died in the home of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards read Brainerd's diary. He was moved by Brainerd's devotion to prayer, fasting, zeal for God, holiness, and tireless labors. 

Edwards edited that diary and then published it. God blew across the ocean waters of minuscule ripples of Brainerd's brief and tragic life. God used The Diary of David Brainerd to inspire thousands of people into ministry and missions. Many credit persevering in difficult mission assignments to reading their Bibles and reading David Brainerd. The impact of life and ministry went far beyond the little mission field he labored in. He continues to impact people today. That little book is still in print hundreds of years after he died. 

Oh that God would do the same with us. That we would wholly surrender ourselves to Him. [Rom 12:1] [Matt 16:24] [II Cor 5:14-15] That we would serve with all our might where God plants us. [Col 3:23] That we would persevere through any and all difficulties and complete our assignment. [Heb 12:1-3] Maybe as the tiny pebbles of our lives splash into the ocean of history, God would once again blow across the waters turning the ripples into waves of impact for His glory. 

With God's anointing, your tiny pebble could have a much wider impact that you can know. We are all called to be faithful. To give Him our best and trust Him for the results. May we live out the truth of [Matt 5:16] in this life time and leave a legacy of faith after our lives are done. All for the glory of our great God.