One cold, snowy night in Canada, Fred Suffield was awakened by an urgent pounding on his door. On his porch he found a half-frozen man reporting that a train had stalled in the blizzard and the passengers were in danger of freezing to death. Without hesitating, Fred lit a lantern, followed the man to the train, and led the cold travelers back to his house. Sometime later, one of the passengers, Kittie, wrote a thank-you note to Fred. He replied and was a bit surprised when Kittie wrote back. Thus continued their communication and eventually their correspondence led to courtship which led to marriage!

Happily married and settled, Fred and kitty attended a church in Ottawa pastored by Rev. A.J. Shea, where they gave their lives to the Lord. As the couple grew in Christ, they began evangelizing. One summer, they invited Rev. Shea's teenage son, George to spend a month with them while they held Evangelistic meetings in Westport. One night, as Kittie played the piano, George attempted to sing along, but his voice cracked on the high notes. He sat down discouraged, vowing never to sing again. Kittie, however, wouldn't hear of it. She suggested that he sing in a lower key. He did, and, from that day forward he kept on singing!

Many years passed, and in June of 2000, George Beverly Shea, who was 92 at the time, was traveling with Billy Graham on an evangelistic crusade in Nashville, Tennessee. Just before the meetings began, George rose to sing. His rich baritone voice broke into a song that had been written 73 years before by Fred and Kittie Suffield: “Little Is Much When God is in It”. The song seemed a bit out of place in this historic campaign led by the world’s most famous evangelist. George knew firsthand that God uses little things in great ways. He had witnessed it in the lives of Fred and Kittie many years before. A little spark carried for years to come.

Like a tiny acorn may produce a forest, and a spark may create a great fire, God can use the littlest things and turn it into something great. When you seem small and out of place and your action may feel insignificant, you may be doing better than you know!

“Little is much when God is in it,

Labor not for wealth or fame;

There’s a crown and you can win it,

If you go in Jesus’ name.²

Suggested Prayer: Dear Lord, there are times when I feel so small in my surroundings. I feel like nothing I do matters, and everything goes unnoticed. But you notice; and all I do matters to you. Thank you for lifting me up and teaching me to be faithful in the little things, for there is where you make me great! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

1. Luke 16:10 (CSB).

2. “Little is Much When God is in It”, hymn by Kittie Louise Suffield (1924).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.