Oh the liberation of embracing your flawed humanness and allowing God to use it for His glory!
“He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He DELIGHTS in me” Psalm 18:19 whaaaa? Me? Heard!
Oftentimes, I am overwhelmed by a sense of unworthiness in the grand scheme of God’s redemption plan. Thoughts such as “What have I done to deserve God’s grace for me?” and “How could He choose me to spread His love across the nations?” flood my mind. Words cannot express the joy that comes from meeting the physical and spiritual needs of God’s people whilst delving into His intricate design of nature, culture, and customs. The Lord gives us unique passions; He knows the desires of our hearts and He allows us to live it out for His glory. He doesn’t need me, or anyone who may be reading this, He is the Almighty God of the universe! He simply allows His followers to play a role in the greatest plan of all time so we can experience life in full while on the devil’s playground. There is not one of us who are deserving of His mercies, yet He freely gives without limitations. Every hero of the Bible was a broken, selfish, stubborn, doubtful, and fearful sinner just like you and me. Moses? David? Paul? They each failed, questioned, and doubted the Lord. God USES seemingly inadequate people—adulterers, murders, etc. Being a sinner was not these heroes only commonality; they each had the Lord take hold of their heart. They understood they were nothing apart from Him and despite their reservations, they were willing to surrender it all to serve Him. They followed God when they did not understand for they knew their Father always knows best.
“I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32
Friends, let this ENCOURAGE you! The “heroes” of the Bible have no advantage over us. To get technical, we actually have the advantage over the Old Testament peeps because we have the Holy Spirit living in us! These heroes were not righteous people God deemed worthy to serve Him; they were sinners in despair who God RESCUED and used as a vessel.
Take a moment to meditate on the following scripture written by David himself:
“I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. . .He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Psalm 18:1-6, 16-19
If you think the radical faith God’s people had in the Bible is limited to biblical times, you’re wrong. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Maybe some of us need to step out in faith. Maybe some of us need to strip ourselves from comfort. Maybe some of us need to be reminded of what He first did for us. I know I do, every single day. When the enemy begins to whisper lies in your ear (and I say when because he will), remember the One who called you. Reflect over how He has used imperfect people all throughout history. We work by HIS strength, not our own! We are not powerful enough to ruin His plans, so step out in faith.
