Have you ever felt that you don’t have the necessary skills, knowledge, or confidence to be used by God? Great news- you’re in a good place to read today’s blog! Let’s look at some examples from the Bible of how God uses the least likely (and qualified) people in His plan.
1) The Disciples – God Prepares Those He Calls
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Matthew 4.18-22 NIV
Since these Scriptures are so familiar to so many of us, it may be easy to miss the significance. Jesus chose common people to be His first followers. The people that were considered to be the wisest, most religious, and most knowledgeable about the Scriptures were not the people Jesus chose. He picked fishermen, tax collectors (who were widely despised), and at least one who was possibly an anarchist or revolutionary (Simon the Zealot). People have their theories about why these men were chosen, including that they had the qualities Jesus was looking for, or that He wanted to start with men who had no previous religious training. It will be fascinating to hear about the reasons Jesus chose these specific men, but for this purpose, it doesn’t really matter. What matters to us is that Jesus chose these men, and then equipped them for the work He had planned for them. That’s very important for us to realize, and it’s such good news! When He calls you to do something, He will prepare you for it! Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for many examples of how Jesus taught, befriended, and did life with the 12 disciples.
2) Moses – Questioning God
(God speaking) So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
Exodus 3.8-12 NIV
Moses goes on to question God some more, and it makes me laugh because he’s so relatable in this passage. God saved Moses from death as a baby and placed him exactly where he needed to be. Even when Moses made mistakes, they were used by God to prepare Moses. When Moses saw the problem of how the Egyptians were treating the Israelites, it was so upsetting to him he killed the abusive Egyptian, yet it was still 40 more years before God called him to free them from captivity. Imagine being in that timeline yourself. Can you imagine the frustration, the helplessness? Yet we can be sure God’s timing is perfect. Read Exodus to learn more about Moses’ epic life.
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3) Paul – God Has Called Us
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Acts 9.1-4 NIV
But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.
Acts 9.15
Even though there are so many people in the Bible that are great examples of how God prepares us for what He’s called us to, I love Paul’s story. It gives me so much hope to know that God can change anyone. Paul hated Jesus and His followers. So much so that he actively worked against Christians, including standing by while Stephen was stoned to death and turning Christians over to be arrested. An encounter with Jesus changed all that, though. Paul became a devoted follower of Jesus, taking the Good News to countless people, writing possibly up to 13 out of the 27 books of the New Testament, and ultimately being imprisoned for his faith and teaching.
Are you in a place where you don’t feel like you can do the things God is calling you to? I hope you find strength and comfort in these Scriptures, and that you dive into the Word and believe that God is preparing you for what He made you for!
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