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Message from Bobby McGraw on August 11, 2022
In this episode, Pastor Bobby McGraw shares an encouraging message about believing big but starting small. Drawing from 2 Kings 3, where God tells three kings to dig ditches in a dry valley, he highlights how faith involves taking action, even when the results aren’t immediately visible. Pastor Bobby relates this to everyday situations, reminding us that while we might be praying for something big—whether it’s a breakthrough in finances, relationships, or parenting—God often asks us to start with small, practical steps. The message is a reminder to trust God and take action, even in the little things.
Hey guys, welcome to another edition of the podcast. Hope you're having a fantastic week, here in Georgia where I'm recording from, I know a lot of our students and administrators and teachers have gone back to school or some version of school, and so I just wanted to say we love you guys. We're praying for you. We're rooting for you. We're praying for our families. We're praying for our students, our educators, administrators.
I know for many it's honestly been a tough week, and I would just encourage you give yourself a little grace. Give the people around you a lot of grace. It's a difficult week, but an important one, and we love you, and you're not in this alone.
Well today I want to talk about believing big, but starting small. Oftentimes in our lives there's something that we think we're missing, and if only we had that thing, life would be better. Let me give you some examples.
Sometimes we think if only I had more time, then life would be easier. If I had more hair, then my life would be better. If God would just heal me of whatever that infirmity is, maybe I'd be happier, and we just fill in that blank. If only I had a different job. If only I had an answer to that prayer. If only I had a spouse, or if only I had a spouse with a job, or if only I had a spouse with a job who looks incredible. We begin to think, man, if I had that thing, life would be better. But maybe sometimes God uses those missing things in our life to teach us a lesson. Maybe God wants us to learn that that thing that we're missing can actually be a blessing when it causes us to draw near and depend on God.
In 2nd Kings chapter 3, we meet three kings who they expect to fight a war and win it. They join forces. They think it's going to be easy, but it doesn't go as planned. In fact, one of the things that happens is they run out of water, and so they're in a hot, dry land with horses and warriors, and they're thinking, what are we going to do? Well, somebody, one of the kings comes up with this idea, let's call for a prophet, and so they call for Elisha. They've heard incredible things about all the things that Elisha has done, and so Elisha shows up, and he begins to ask the question, well, why are you calling on me now? What do you want me to do?
Well, one of the kings that was there is a guy named Jehoshaphat. Now, even though he wasn't where he was supposed to be in that moment, he did fear God, and this prophet says, you know what? I respect that, so I'll be your prophet. I'll be the person that you need. And listen to what he says in 2nd Kings 3 verse 15. It says, "then it happened when the musician played that the hand of the Lord came upon him, and the prophet said, 'thus says the Lord .This is a big deal. Thus says the Lord, make this valley full of ditches.'"
So they're praying for something. They're asking God, if we just had water, God, if we just had water, God, if we just had water, and maybe that's different for you, but the thing they're asking for is, God, would you give us water? And God says, "Here's what I want you to do. I want you to dig some ditches." One of the principles in this passage is that God can send the water. God's the only one that can send the water, but sometimes he wants you to dig a ditch.
Here's what it says in verse 17. "For this is what the Lord says, 'you will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle, your other animals will drink.' This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord. He will also deliver the enemy, Moab, into your hands." I love that. This is easy for God. Only God can send the water. Only for God is that easy, but he's asking them to do their part. He's asking them to dig a ditch.
I think sometimes there are moments in our life when we keep asking the question, God, when are you gonna show up? God, when are you gonna do this thing? God, when are you going to answer this prayer? And I wonder how many times God's saying, but I want you to get started. And when you dig a ditch, you don't start with the whole thing dug. You believe big, but you've got to be willing to start small.
Sometimes people say, "Well, I'm praying that I'll have godly kids." Well, part of digging the ditch is to say, "Man, I'm gonna make sure they're connected to church. I'm gonna make sure they're plugged in. I'm gonna make sure they're in a small group. I'm gonna make sure they're in a place where they can hear God speak." That's digging a ditch.
Sometimes people say, "Well, I just pray that God would give me more money, that God would help me financially." And I think sometimes God says, that's great, but how about starting by investing in Kingdom work by tithing? Or maybe it's creating a budget. Maybe it's going through our next I was broke class that we would say, "You know what? I'm asking God to do something, but I'm willing to dig some ditches."
Sometimes people are like, "God, would you send me a spouse?" And maybe God's saying, why not go to the gym? Why not try ironing your shirt with a collar? Why not getting rid of the Xbox or whatever that is? You see what I'm saying. Sometimes we're praying for something and God's saying, I'm waiting for you to work.
See, here's what I believe about a faith that God is shaping. Unstoppable faith. Unstoppable faith is the kind of faith that says, "I believe God can do something big, but I'm willing to start with something small."
Zechariah chapter 4 verse 10 says this, "do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." And so I'm praying for you today. What is that thing that you're asking for? What is that thing that you're believing for? Believe big, but be willing to start small. Be willing to say, "God, I'm gonna put my faith in action and I'm gonna stick the shovel in the ground and I'm gonna dig some ditches."
Well, I hope that's encouraging to you today. If so, if you don't mind, would you consider sharing this with a friend, letting them know so that they can have some encouragement as they launch into your day? We love you guys. We can't wait to see you back here tomorrow for another edition of the weekday podcast.
Chuck is the Lead Pastor at Sugar Hill Church. He’s been the Lead Pastor since 2011, but he’s been around Sugar Hill Church since 2008. Since day one, Chuck’s passion has been to encourage others with this one big belief: “You can do this! You can love God with all your heart, mind and soul and be normal!" You will often hear him say, “the Bible is a very big deal, Jesus is the very biggest deal and living that out always involves serving people here and around the globe.” Chuck's passion is to graciously lead people to Jesus and create a simple path for them to grow in their faith. Some of his goals are to reduce the dropout rate in our local schools, serve with our missions partners well, lead our church and families with a healthy fiscal plan, and in the future, to provide transitional housing for single moms. Chuck and his wife, Jenny, stay plenty busy with six daughters, three son-in-laws, five grandkids and an awesome dog, Kirby. They are foodies and enjoy eating through the Atlanta Magazine Top 50 Restaurants. Chuck’s favorite things to do include fishing, reading, writing and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs!
Bobby serves as both the Associate Pastor and the Teaching Pastor at Sugar Hill Church. He has been on staff here since December, 2008 (where he started part-time in Student Ministry). Bobby’s passion comes from a love of seeing the light-bulb go on for folks. Whether it’s in a small group, a NEXT gathering, or during a weekend message, he loves seeing people “get it” and apply the truth to their lives. As one of our pastors here, Bobby helps individuals take the next steps in their faith, he helps the church fulfill its God-given mission, and he gives day-to-day direction to our Adult Ministries, Communications, and Finance teams. In his spare time, you can find Bobby riding his motorcycle, working out, reading, or eating gas station tacos. He and his wife, Laura, have been married since January, 2011, and they have a very “manly” 10lb cockapoo named Ollie. He would love to connect more, so find him on social media (@bobbymcgraw) or check out his blog at yourbetterstory.com.
