Big Prayers, Small Beginnings

Most leaders I know are praying for more.

More influence. More growth. More impact.

And that’s not a bad thing. Scripture tells us that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. But one of the tensions we face as we pursue God and the dreams He has put in our hearts is this: His pace rarely matches our preference. 

We serve a God who often works in seasons — but we live in a culture built on speed. 

If I could offer you one piece of advice today, it would be this: Think like a farmer. Farmers think in seasons, not seconds. They play the long game. And perhaps, most importantly, farmers understand the value of a seed. 

The problem with seeds, though, is that they rarely look significant. 

And when something doesn’t look significant, the temptation is to walk away from it—to toss it out and move on to something that looks more promising. 

But Ecclesiastes 11 gives us a picture of what it looks like to sow when the potential of what we’re carrying is still a mystery:

“One who watches the wind will not sow, and the one who looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you don’t know the path of the wind, or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you don’t know the work of God who makes everything. 

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hand rest, because you don’t know which will succeed, whether one or the other, or if both of them will be equally good.” Ecclesiastes 11:4–6

Farmers don’t watch the wind, waiting for perfect conditions. They don’t abandon the field when growth isn’t immediately visible. They keep showing up, believing that as they do their part, God will do His. 

Farmers also understand that you can’t tell the size of the harvest based on the size of the seed. That’s why we must faithfully steward the days of small beginnings—not just sowing seed, but cultivating strong roots.

And, roots take time.

But roots are essential because depth precedes durability.

If you’re praying for God to expand your influence (and I hope you are), you must also pray that He gives you the depth to sustain it. If you go high before growing deep, you’ll eventually topple over. That’s why Paul prayed in Ephesians that we would be rooted and established in God’s love (Ephesians 3:17). 

God’s got big plans for you, but before He takes you higher, He needs to take you deeper. Trust Him and embrace the process. 

Remember, you can’t rush roots. 

Just like Ecclesiastes reminds us, you don’t know which seed God is breathing on—or what He’s multiplying behind the scenes.

So be faithful today with whatever comes your way and whatever is placed in your hands. 

The conversations you’re having.

The team you’re building. 

The discipline you’re cultivating. 

The seeds you’re planting in faith. 

They matter more than you know. 

So here’s a question worth carrying with you this week:

What is God asking me to steward faithfully today, even if the results won’t be visible for a while?

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