“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT)

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Think of the time when a giant Philistine was taunting the armies of Israel. Everyone was paralyzed with fear. So, whom did God select? He chose a shepherd boy who had been sent by his father to take food to his brothers on the front lines. This young shepherd went out to face the heavily armored giant with a few stones and a sling—and more importantly, with faith in God. David was the person God used to turn the tide of battle and give Israel victory.

At another time in Israel’s history, when the people were immobilized by fear because of their enemies, God found a man threshing wheat. His name was Gideon, and he was convinced that God had called up the wrong guy. But God selected him because he didn’t trust in his own ability. Gideon had to trust in God. He, too, won an unlikely victory for his people.

In 1 Samuel 16:7, we read these words: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’” (NLT).

It’s a simple yet extremely effective strategy. If God were to choose the people we would expect—the strong, the powerful, the talented, the ones who look like they just walked out of central casting for a spiritual hero role—to accomplish His work, our focus would be on them. Instead, God favors the small, the humble, the unlikely, so that we can more clearly see His hand at work.

After God refused to remove a physical affliction from the apostle Paul, Paul wrote, “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10 NLT).

If you have faith in God, if you believe that He can use you, and if you’re willing to take a step of faith here and there, then God can do incredible things through you. He is not looking for ability but availability. He can give you ability in time. But God is looking for someone to say, “I would like to make a difference where I am. Lord, I am available.”

And in this season of thanksgiving, let’s praise God not only for using ordinary people like us to accomplish extraordinary things but also for making us aware of the potential we possess through Him.

Reflection question: What can God accomplish through you?

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