Obedience in the Small Things and Why It Matters

Hello again, friend! Let’s talk about those little “God nudges” that seem so insignificant – the kind where you think, Does this tiny thing really matter, Lord? Maybe it’s an urge to say an encouraging word to a stranger, or a prompting to take a different route home, or to do some task that’s not even your responsibility. It’s easy to brush off small things and wait for God to give us a “big assignment.” But here’s what I’m learning: **obedience in the small things matters immensely. In fact, it often matters more than we know.

When God’s Requests Seem Odd or Trivial

To continue the story of my friend Amanda (from the last post): after she took that first timid step of obedience by picking up a scrap of trash she saw on the ground, God gave her another prompt. This one was even more odd-sounding. She sensed God leading her to go clean up an entire high school parking lot on the other side of town. Yes, you read that right – pick up all the trash in a school parking lot that she didn’t even attend. Imagine being a teenager and feeling God ask you to do that! Most of us would think, “No way, that can’t actually be God. Why would He want me to do something so… random?” It’s not like “Thou shalt pick up litter” is the 11th commandment.

Amanda felt all those hesitations. She was worried about safety (this was in a rough part of town), about embarrassment, about whether she was crazy to even consider it. But deeper down, she had this desire to obey God even if it didn’t make sense. So she grabbed her sister, mustered up her courage, and went to that parking lot after school hours. Together, quietly and without any fanfare, they picked up bag after bag of trash until the lot was clean. She told me she kept praying, “Okay, Lord, I’m doing this for You,” partly to bolster her resolve and partly to make sure God knew this strange act was an offering of obedience.

When they finished, there was no one around to applaud. No principal came out to thank her; no classmate suddenly asked about her faith. It was just a small act done in secret. Amanda went home thinking, Well, I did it, God. Not sure what that was all about, but I hope it pleased You. Fast forward years later – she learned that her younger sister (who helped that day) never forgot the experience. It deeply influenced her sister’s own walk with God. Seeing Amanda obey God over something so small and seemingly silly taught her sister that God cares about our willingness more than the grandiosity of the task. It inspired her to listen for God’s voice in her own life and obey even when it sounded unusual. What Amanda thought was a little, maybe pointless assignment turned out to be a defining faith lesson for someone else.

This story convicts and encourages me. How many times have I ignored a small prompting because it seemed unimportant? Only God knows what ripple effects my obedience (or lack of it) had in those moments. The truth is, we often won’t see the immediate impact of a small act of obedience. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t having an effect in the spiritual realm or in someone’s life. Sometimes God’s smallest assignments are tests and training for our hearts. He’s seeing if we’ll be faithful in private when no one’s watching. Other times, as in Amanda’s case, our obedience might be for the sake of someone else’s growth.

Faithful in Little, Trusted with More

Jesus taught a principle that has echoed in my mind lately: “Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much” (Luke 16:10). It’s a kingdom principle that our culture often overlooks. We live in a time where bigger seems better – big platforms, big ministries, big dreams. And there’s nothing wrong with big God-given dreams! But God’s pathway to those “big” things usually winds through the small things. Like a good father, He trains His children step by step. I think of King David: before he ever led a nation or defeated Goliath, he was a shepherd boy faithfully tending sheep. In fact, David’s courage to face Goliath came because he had already faced danger in protecting those few sheep – he fought off a lion and a bear as a young shepherd (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Talk about small assignments that turned out to prepare him for a giant task! David himself likely didn’t understand at the time why his role in the fields (and all those lonely hours singing to God under the stars) mattered. But later it was clear that his humble obedience in the pasture was exactly what God used to shape a king after His own heart.

In our lives, being “faithful in little” could look like: consistently showing up to pray even when no one sees, doing your work with integrity though it’s not celebrated, volunteering in that one-hour-a-week ministry that doesn’t seem to make headlines, or following a nudge to help someone out with a small need. According to Jesus, none of that is wasted. It’s building something in you – faithfulness, humility, a servant heart – and it’s also building God’s trust in you to handle more. If we’re unwilling to do the little things, why would He entrust us with greater responsibilities or insights?

It’s a bit like spiritual muscle training. You don’t start by lifting a 200-pound weight; you start with 5 pounds, then 10, working your way up. Those little obediences are like spiritual weightlifting reps. They might seem insignificant on their own, but over time they develop the muscle needed to lift the bigger assignments God may give in the future.

It’s About the Heart, Not the Task

One big lesson I’ve learned (and am still learning) is that God doesn’t need my help to accomplish things – He’s Almighty! But He invites my obedience because He desires my heart. In every small call to obey, He’s really asking, “Do you trust Me? Will you put My voice above your comfort or logic?” It reminds me of the verse, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me” (John 14:21). Obedience is an expression of love. When I do the little thing He asks, I’m essentially saying, “God, I love You enough to do this Your way, even if I don’t get it.”

There’s also a flip side: sometimes God tests our obedience not by asking us to do something, but by asking us to refrain. Maybe He’ll prompt you not to retaliate when someone speaks harshly to you, or not to buy that thing you really want because He knows it’s not the right time. Those are small tests of obedience too, and boy, can they be just as hard (if not harder) than active tasks! My friend Amanda mentioned that after years of practicing obedience in little things, one day God actually said to her heart regarding some trash on the ground, “Leave it there.” It was as if He was saying, “Okay, you’ve proven you’ll always pick it up; now I want to see if you’ll listen when I tell you not to.” That sounds counterintuitive – wouldn’t God always want us to pick up trash? – but it showed her that obedience is about listening closely. It’s not a robotic following of rules; it’s responding to God’s specific leading in the moment. Sometimes He might ask you to go; other times, He asks you to stay. The key is a heart tuned to say “Yes, Lord” either way.

Small Yeses Have Ripple Effects

I shared how Amanda’s small yes impacted her sister. Think about your own life: have you ever been encouraged by seeing someone else’s simple act of faith? I know I have. I once saw a colleague quietly bow her head and pray over her lunch in a very public, secular setting. It was a small thing, but it spoke volumes to me about her devotion and it reminded me not to be ashamed of my faith in everyday moments. Another time, a friend of mine felt prompted to text me a Bible verse out of the blue – she said “I just felt God put you on my heart.” That message came at a moment when I was really discouraged and needed exactly that verse. My friend’s quick obedience to a small nudge had a huge effect on my heart that day.

You truly never know what God will do through a little act of obedience. You may not find out the story this side of eternity, but trust that God is at work in every act done in His name. Sometimes He graciously lets us see the fruit later on – like Amanda hearing from her sister, or me discovering how a friend’s verse text lifted me up. Other times we won’t know until heaven. But we can be sure of this: obedience honors God and blesses others, period. Even if the immediate outcome isn’t obvious, your willingness to obey delights your Father in heaven. I imagine God smiling like a proud parent when He sees His children take His words seriously.

Why It Matters to God (and Us)

God can accomplish anything without us, but He chooses to work through us because He’s building a relationship. It’s similar to a parent inviting a child to help bake cookies. The parent could do it faster and better alone, but they ask the child to help stir the batter so the child can learn and they can spend time together. In the same way, when God asks you or me to do something small, it’s an invitation to partner with Him and to grow. It’s for our benefit as much as anyone else’s. Through these experiences, our faith gets stretched, our character is refined, and we get the joy of participating in God’s work.

Small obediences also prepare us to handle bigger decisions. If we cultivate a habit of saying “yes” to God in the minor stuff, we’ll be ready to say “yes” when the major crossroads come. Conversely, if we keep saying “no” or “later” in the small things, we might miss the big thing or find ourselves too weak-kneed to obey when it really counts. I don’t want that, and I know you don’t either.

Perhaps God is whispering to you even now about something that seems small. It could be apologizing to someone, forgiving a slight offense, volunteering for a task nobody wants, or taking five minutes to pray for that coworker who annoys you. It might feel insignificant in the grand scheme, but I encourage you: do it unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Your obedience is an act of worship. And who knows what God will set into motion through it?

Challenge: Embrace the “Small” Prompt

This week, I challenge you to respond to one small nudge from God that you might normally ignore or put off. Pray and ask God to make you aware of His promptings in the little things. It could be as simple as, “send an encouraging message to so-and-so,” or “wake up 15 minutes earlier to spend time with Me,” or “help your neighbor with their groceries.” When that nudge comes (and you’ll know it when it does!), say “yes” and follow through. Then, pay attention to what happens in your heart. How did it feel to obey? Did you sense God’s pleasure or peace? Sometimes you might even see a direct result from it – if so, rejoice! If not, trust that seed is planted. Journal about the experience or share it with a friend.

The point is to train ourselves to be faithful in the little things. No act done for God is truly little in His eyes. As you make this a habit, you’ll likely find your confidence in hearing Him grows, and your relationship with Him deepens. Remember Jesus’ promise: “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” So let’s be faithful in the small stuff today, friend. God’s got big smiles and maybe even bigger assignments ahead, all on the other side of our simple yes.