1 Corinthians 1: 26-27
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”
From the beginning of time, God has had a habit of calling ordinary men and women to be used in extraordinary ways for His purposes and for His glory. Throughout the Bible are accounts of ordinary men and women who have been called by God to fulfill His plans: Moses, Joseph, Gideon, King David, Queen Esther, Jeremiah, and the Apostle Paul to name a few.
When Jesus began His public ministry, He also knew that He would need a band of brothers to help with His mission so He chose a motley bunch of men to follow Him. In the beginning, they had no idea how their lives would change, from ordinary to extraordinary.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter and John found themselves in a tense situation when, after healing a crippled beggar, they were brought before the Sanhedrin to explain themselves. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke with boldness to the religious leaders and this was their response: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) Two ordinary men, called by Jesus to do things for an extraordinary God.
Another “ordinary man” was Dwight L. Moody, a poorly educated, un-ordained, shoe salesman, who answered the call of God to preach the gospel. Early one morning he and some friends gathered in a hay field for a season of prayer, confession, and consecration. One of his friends said, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.” Moody, was deeply moved by his friend’s words, and through this one ordinary life, God began to do the extraordinary. Moody went on to share Christ across America and Britain, becoming one of greatest evangelists of modern times, preaching revival services that brought thousands upon thousands to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
As a “baby boomer,” I was one of 910 students in my high school graduating class in 1965. It may surprise many of you, especially those who know me personally, that I was probably one of the shyest, most insecure students in my class. Graduation Day was a day of celebration for me in more ways than one—I made it through with passing grades and survived the emotional toll. It wasn’t until I met my future husband that I began to come out of my protective shell. I came out of a different shell when I answered God’s call, an invitation to receive salvation by faith, inviting Jesus into my insecure heart and life. Never could I have envisioned that God would use me—just an ordinary, uneducated, untrained woman—in amazing ways by an extraordinary God. By no means am I a Peter or a John, or a DL Moody, but from the beginning of time, He had ordinary me on His mind to do particular things for His purposes and to bring Him glory for which I am enormously grateful.
From the beginning of time, He chose you and has had a plan for you, too, to accomplish much in His name. Do you feel that you are just an ordinary person who can’t possibly be used by God in an extraordinary way? Reach out to Him and ask Him to show you how He can use your gifting for His purposes. Ask Him to guide you to specific opportunities where you can be used in particular ways to fulfill His plan. He will be faithful to do it!
Dear Heavenly Father, God of the extraordinary, sometimes we feel so unworthy or ill-equipped to serve You in meaningful ways that would impact others’ lives in extraordinary ways. Give us a fresh filling of your Holy Spirit, Lord. Renew right thinking in our minds and conviction in our hearts that it is by Your power, Your wisdom, and Your equipping that we are able to do anything. Confirm in us Your call upon our lives. And as You do, we shall stand back and watch as You do extraordinary things. In Jesus’ name and for the sake of the Kingdom we pray. Amen.
~ painting by Carol VonBurnum
