God often chooses the unlikely. I love that about Him, don’t you?
When we see useless, He sees useful.
When we see damaged, He sees redemption.
When we see fear, He sees strength.
We can often count ourselves out of being used by God, because we believe the lies satan tells us, having preconceived ideas about ourselves that aren’t aligned with how God sees us.
God saw a “mighty man of fearless courage” in Gideon, as he was threshing wheat in the bottom of a winepress. Gideon is in the very act of operating out of fear, as he’s hiding in a wine press to thresh wheat, because he and the rest of the Israelites are under the cruelty of the Midianites. And yet God calls him “a mighty man of fearless courage.” (Judges 6:12)
I’m sure those words hit Gideon and had him thinking, “are you kidding me? I’m not a mighty man, and I’m definitely not fearless.”
The Lord says, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” (Judges 6:14). Gideon’s rebuttal begins with the all-too-common “but” and then proceeds with a list of excuses why he’s not the guy for the job.
Isn’t that just like us? To remind God why He shouldn’t or can’t use us?
I don’t know what your view of yourself is. Maybe you feel like God’s been stirring something in your heart for you to do, but you think there are others more suited to do it. Maybe you’re feeling that you’re not good enough…because you don’t have the education, the voice, the looks, the “standard”, according to your own thoughts of what a certain role should look like, as you compare yourself to others.
Wherever we’re at, and no matter what others think of us, or what we think of our own capabilities – God wants to use us just how we are and right where we are. He sees us as just the right person to do exactly what He calls us to do. What’s more, is that He’ll not only use us where we’re at, but He’s constantly calling us to be more of who He’s created us to be.
Could it be, that like Gideon, He’s speaking over us….
where we see a coward, He sees a deliverer.
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