Today I prayed for guidance because discouragement had begun to settle in. I brought a question before the Lord that had been weighing on me: Am I wasting my time, money, and effort? I thought about the websites, the devotionals, the blog posts, the coffee brand, and the vision behind it all. I have poured hours into these things, often day and night, hoping to see a little more momentum, a little more excitement, some sign that the work was connecting. But when visible results seem small, disappointment can creep in. And if you are not careful, discouragement starts whispering that your obedience does not matter.
So I prayed and asked the Lord plainly if I was wasting my time. And He answered me with a story.
It is the story of a man most people have never heard of, yet his faithfulness may have shaped modern Christian history more than many famous names ever could. His name was Mordecai Ham, a tent revival preacher in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1934, he was preaching under a tent in Charlotte, North Carolina. Two fourteen-year-old boys happened to be walking by, drawn in by the commotion and by the bold preaching of the Father’s love. Curious, they approached the tent, but seeing there were no seats available, they turned and began to walk away.
And this is where the story changed.
An usher—whose name history does not even record—saw those two boys leaving. He ran after them and said, “Wait, we can find two seats for you.” He brought them back, made room, and seated them under the preaching of the gospel. That day both boys gave their lives to Christ. One of those boys was Billy Graham, who would go on to preach the gospel to more people than perhaps anyone in history. Millions heard the good news through his ministry. The other was Grady Wilson, the man who would help organize and support those global evangelistic crusades.
Think about that. History remembers Billy Graham. Some remember Mordecai Ham. A few know Grady Wilson. But almost no one remembers the usher. And yet, without the usher, what happened next may never have happened.
That was the lesson God used to answer my prayer. The one who changed the world may not have been the famous preacher, nor the world-renowned evangelist. It may have been the unnamed servant who simply refused to let two boys walk away. Not on my watch. That pierced my heart, because the Lord seemed to whisper: Your job is not to change the world. Your job is to change somebody’s world.
What a freeing truth. We live in a culture obsessed with scale. Bigger audiences. Bigger platforms. Bigger results. We often assume if something is from God, it should produce immediate and visible success. But the Kingdom often moves through small acts of unnoticed faithfulness.
Jesus Himself taught this. He left ninety-nine to pursue one lost sheep. The Holy Bible He stopped for one blind beggar on the roadside. He sat with one Samaritan woman at a well. He healed one leper others ignored. Again and again, we see a Savior who did not treat the one as insignificant. The world celebrates crowds. Heaven celebrates faithfulness. 1<99 That simple truth carries a deeper lesson: in the Kingdom, the one is never small.
Maybe I have been looking at my work through the wrong lens. Maybe success is not measured by how many read an article. Maybe it is whether one weary soul finds hope in it. Maybe it is not whether thousands buy coffee tied to a mission. Maybe it is whether one conversation over a cup of coffee points someone toward Christ. Maybe it is not whether a website grows quickly. Maybe it is whether one searching heart stumbles onto truth.
If even one life is helped, was the labor wasted? No. That is ministry. The Holy Bible says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6) That means my responsibility is not to force the harvest. It is to sow.
The usher did not know what his small act would produce. He just made room. What if we did the same? What if instead of asking God to help us do something big, we asked Him to help us be faithful in something small? A phone call. A prayer. An article. An invitation. A cup of coffee. A seat made available for someone who was about to walk away.
We may never know this side of heaven what one act of obedience set in motion. The danger is quitting because we do not yet see fruit. The Holy Bible reminds us: “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9) Due season belongs to God. Faithfulness belongs to us.
Today I began discouraged, wondering if I was wasting my time. I ended the day reminded that if I help change somebody’s world, I am doing God’s work.
And maybe you need that reminder too. Do not despise the small thing God has put in your hand. Do not underestimate a hidden act of obedience. You may think you are only offering someone a seat. God may be using you to shape generations.
💭 Reflection: Have you been measuring your calling by visible success instead of simple faithfulness? Who might God be asking you to make room for today?
🙏 Prayer: Lord, help me stop measuring significance by recognition. Teach me to be faithful in small things, trusting You with what they may become. Make me willing to serve even when no one remembers my name. And if through one simple act of obedience I can help change somebody’s world, let me do it for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
IN Christ
Jeffrey Trester
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