There are two young men in my life that bring me great delight.  One is my nephew; the other is the youngest son of my secretary.  Nathaniel is nine and Jedediah is seven.  I often address them as "my big little man."

 

As I set out to write this song it struck me that we are all "big little men" in the sense that there is so much in this world that is greater than we are; there are so many things that we cannot do.  But then I thought of the "little men" of the Bible -- David when he slew Goliath and Zacchaeus the tax-collector.  They were little men through whom and in whom God did great things.  If God could do it for them, He can and will do similar things for and in us.

 

Most importantly, God does things that we could never accomplish, even with His help.  He worked out our salvation quite apart from any involvement from us.  Some things -- especially the gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation -- God has to do completely on His own.

 

BIG LITTLE MAN
by Steven S. Billings
September 1, 2005

 

Verse 1

David went up to the battle, where his brothers were fightin' the war.
On the other side, standin' ten feet high, was a giant just a-swingin' his sword.
When David heard the disparaging word that Goliath was slingin' at the Lord,
He said: "If you ain't gonna fight him, brothers, I'll delight in making them Philistines sore!"

Chorus 1

He was a big little man who took a stone in his hand,
And when he let it fly, they saw the giant die.
When you're a big little man, you do the best that you can.
And what you can't do, the Lord will do it for you.

Verse 2

Zacheus climbed to the top of a fig tree; he wanted to see for himself
The Savior passin' by, but he had to get up high to see around everybody else.
When Jesus came along, He said: "Zacheus, come on down; I'm eatin' at your house today,"
Zacheus let Him in, repented of his sin and gave a ton of money away!

Chorus 2

He was a big little man who took his riches in hand,
And gave back what he stole because the Lord made him whole.
When you're a big little man, you do the best that you can.
And what you can't do, the Lord will do it in you.

Bridge

Sometimes it seems there are things that are just too big for you.
On your own, all alone, far from home, son, you know that it's true.
In the test, do your best, leave the rest to Him and don't be blue.
Understand, little man, that His plan is to carry you through.

Chorus 3

You're a big little man; you're in the palm of His hand,
And He set you free (on Calvary), for what He's called you to be.
You're a big little man, and you're part of His plan,
And He wants you to know (He loves you so), that He'll never let you go.
You're a big little man; do the best that you can.
And what you never could do, He already did it for you!
You're a big little man ... [fade]