“Isn’t there anyone else?”
That’s the question Samuel, the High Priest of Israel, asked a guy named Jesse. God had sent Samuel to Jesse’s house to anoint one of Jesse’s sons the next king of Israel (the story is in 1 Samuel 16 in the Old Testament). Once Samuel told Jesse the purpose of the visit, he had lined up all of his sons and waited for God to show him which one was the chosen one. A couple of them looked like obvious fits; they had that “king” look to them. But each time God said, “No.” Finally, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons, and Jesse did. His youngest son, who was out in the fields watching sheep. Apparently, because he was the youngest and deemed the least important, his dad hadn’t even invited him to the Mr. Israel King pageant.
Eventually, they sent for this last son, and when he showed up God told Samuel, “That’s the guy!” That’s the story of how David became the second king of Israel. This is the same David who defeated a giant named Goliath (1 Samuel 17) and led Israel to levels of prosperity and security it had never experienced. And he didn’t even get an invitation to the party in the first place! But what’s so important to remember about David’s story is not that he was the last one invited to the party, but that he was God’s first choice to lead Israel. David was not God’s Plan B.
David wasn’t the only person in the Bible to find his way from obscurity into God’s spotlight. Moses had been hiding out in the desert for forty years, keeping his mouth shut to hide his poor speaking ability when God called him. Sarah lived in shame as a barren woman unable to give her husband an heir for ninety years before God gave her a son that would fulfill God’s promise to Abraham. Joseph’s own family sold him into slavery, and he ended up sitting in an Egyptian dungeon for years before God made him the second most powerful man in the world. Mary was a poor teenage girl in a village everyone made fun of when God chose her to become the mother of the Messiah. While these people may not have been the most obvious choice to their family and friends, God chose them specifically for His purposes. They weren’t Plan B.
If you have ever been in a second chair, low-key, or behind-the-scenes role, you may have felt like Plan B. Maybe you were the understudy for the lead in the school play, or you came off the bench for your high school basketball team. You were only going to get in the game or onto the stage if someone else faltered or couldn’t handle their role. They were Plan A, and you were Plan B. When we aren’t in the spotlight or the first one picked, it is easy to feel overlooked and underappreciated. But know this—just because you may have come off the second chair doesn’t mean you aren’t God’s first choice.
On Sunday we talked about Deborah, who filled a unique role in the history of Israel (her story is in the Old Testament book of Judges in chapters 4 & 5). Deborah lived in a really dark period of history for Israel. Because they kept rejecting God and chasing after the idols and practices of their neighboring countries, God lifted His hand of protection off of them and they spent decades being invaded, kicked around, and occupied by a variety of armies and invading hordes. When things would get bad enough, Israel would repent of their idol worship and cry out to God, and He would take pity on them and raise up a “judge” who would drive out the invaders and things would get better. Then Israel would start rejecting God, and it would happen all over again.
All the judges that God raised up in that period of history were men, except one, Deborah. Judges 4 tells us that Deborah was a wife, a prophetess, a poet, and a judge for Israel. She sat under a tree people called, “The Palm of Deborah,” and everyone would come to her for wisdom and leadership. Eventually, God spoke to Deborah and told her how to set Israel free. So, she teamed up with a guy named Barak and God gave Israel victory and made them a free people once again.
When I have heard people talk about Deborah’s story, often they argue that because the men in Israel had not stepped up, God used Deborah instead. Because of the strong patriarchal nature of their culture, they assume that a man should have been “the man.” But I don’t think that’s why God used Deborah (and another woman named Jael that you would not want to go camping with) to deliver Israel. Deborah wasn’t God’s Plan B. God didn’t use Deborah to rub all the guy’s noses in it. God used Deborah because He wanted to set Israel free, and the best person to lead that charge was a woman named Deborah. She wasn’t Plan B, she was God’s chosen agent for change.
Unsung heroes may not get the headlines or stand in the spotlight, but they are not God’s Plan B. There may be times when you and I feel like we are serving in anonymity, times when we wonder if what we are doing is really making a difference, situations where we feel like we’re stepping up because no one else is willing to. In those moments, please know that you are God’s Plan A for that moment. What might be unseen or overlooked by others is capturing the attention of Heaven! So keep serving. Keep giving. Keep loving people and giving them a second chance. What you are doing might go big or go viral, but even if only a few people ever realize or acknowledge your contribution, know that you will one day hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” You are God’s Plan A for helping to change the world.