The Set-Up
Some of the best Bible stories are the ones where God uses the most unexpected person to do something huge. My personal favorite is the story of Ehud, a left-handed man who killed a Moabite king. Because he was left-handed, Ehud kept his dagger on his right hip. Most likely, the palace guards only searched Ehud’s left side, where most people would keep weapons, because in ancient times, being left-handedness was severely looked down upon. It was thought to be evil or unclean, depending on the culture. Ehud was basically able to waltz into the palace, stab the king, and leave. And to top it all off, the king was so obese that his stomach fat covered Ehud’s dagger (Judges 3:12-30). It was a perfect crime!
There are so many stories of God using those who are ignored by society to do His work: the midwives in Egypt refused to kill Hebrew boys as they were being born, thwarting Pharaoh’s plan of infanticide (Exodus 1:15-21); Rahab the prostitute saved the lives of a couple of Hebrew spies (Joshua 2:1-24); teenaged David killing a Philistine with a single stone thrown from a sling…and then chopping off his head (1 Samuel 17:1-58). Those are just my favorite examples of God using the unexpected – the Bible is full of so many more accounts.
What these people all had in common was their willingness to follow God at the moment, right where they were at, using what they had. When God asked them to move, they did.
God has placed you where you are for a purpose. There may be times when you feel insignificant, or it feels like you don’t have any influence. Maybe you’re in that place right now, a place where you feel like you don’t have anything of importance to offer God. But please hear this: importance, status, or influence isn’t what God is looking for. He just wants a heart that is willing to listen to Him and move out in faith. He delights in using the unexpected to bring great things.
Passage to Read
Reflection Questions
After reading today’s passage, why do you think God uses ways that are unexpected (“foolish”)?
What do you think Paul means in verse 18 when he writes, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction”?
Have you ever experienced a time when you felt like what you were doing didn’t matter? What was that situation like? Did something happen to make you feel differently?
Prayer Idea
Thank God that He uses imperfect and unexpected people to do His work. We truly have nothing of real value to offer Him. Everything belongs to Him anyway; there’s nothing we could give Him that isn’t His. But He still delights in working through His people.