By David Faust
No one knows the exact date of his birth, and his biography has many gaps. No photos of him exist, though artists have tried to picture his face. He was a business-savvy entrepreneur and a successful inventor, but late in his career he lost a lawsuit filed by his business partner and died before reaching the age of 70. Yet, this man’s actions changed the world. In 1999, Time magazine selected Johannes Gutenberg as the Man of the Millennium—the individual who most shaped the world between the years 1000 and 1999.
An innovator in the use of moveable type, Gutenberg had buyers lined up to purchase the 180 Bibles that rolled off his printing press in the mid-1450s; but something bigger than a business transaction was happening. Gutenberg was an ordinary man, but his printed Bibles did extraordinary things: making God’s written Word more widely available, opening the door for the Protestant Reformation, and forever changing the way information is conveyed.
Unexpected Encounters
Wayne Smith, longtime senior minister at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, used to say, “Big doors swing on little hinges.” In other words, small decisions have big consequences. Little-known people have a big impact. Actions that seem inconsequential at the time can change the world.
Has the Lord used little hinges to open big doors in your life? How would things have been different if you hadn’t met a certain friend, worked in a particular job, married your spouse, encountered an influential teacher or coach, or lived in a certain community? Were there any close calls when you narrowly escaped danger or dodged the consequences of a bad decision? Have seemingly small incidents redirected your life in ways you didn’t expect?
An Unlikely Messenger
John 4 describes a woman’s unexpected encounter with Jesus. Her story has been told for nearly 2,000 years, but we don’t even know her name. We call her simply “the Samaritan woman” or “the woman at the well.” Without reporting all the details, Scripture makes it clear her life was messy. After being married five times, she now was living with a man who wasn’t her husband. When she headed for the well to draw water in the heat of the day, she didn’t expect to hold a conversation with a Jewish man, and she certainly didn’t realize her life was about to change forever.
Yet she was the one who heard Jesus say, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). She heard one of Jesus’ earliest affirmations of his Messiahship when he declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he” (v. 26). This anonymous woman became a dynamic proponent of the gospel, offering her neighbors the tantalizing invitation, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (v. 29). Was it a chance, random meeting she had with Jesus that day, or would it be better to say she had a providential encounter with the Lord?
The heavenly Father used a Samaritan woman with a water bucket and a German businessman with ink on his hands to change history. He can use routine conversations, unexpected interactions, ordinary people, and seemingly inconsequential events to make a big difference in our lives. Nothing in the universe escapes his notice. He cares about trivialities like the number of hairs on your head and what happens when a sparrow falls to the ground. Small details matter to God—even in the lives of ordinary people like us.
Personal Challenge: This week, take notice of how the Lord works in small things. Do you hear his voice speaking in a Scripture verse or recognize a God-given blessing that makes you feel grateful? Where do you see the Holy Spirit at work in your own life (or in the life of a friend)?
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