Exactly the Kind of Person God Uses

Scripture Focus

“It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” — Deuteronomy 7:7–8 (ESV)

Devotional Thought

Have you ever wondered why God chose Israel? I was talking with our students about that recently. If you were choosing a nation through which to accomplish something that would change the entire world, you might naturally look for the largest, wealthiest, or most powerful people available. But God says that wasn’t Israel. In fact, Moses reminds them, “you were the fewest of all peoples.” God didn’t choose Israel because they were impressive. He chose them because He loved them and because He was faithful to the promise He had made.

That reminds me of Samuel going to the house of Jesse to anoint Israel’s next king. Saul, the previous king, certainly looked the part. He stood head and shoulders above the people. So when Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab, he apparently thought, Surely this is the one. But God told him, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature… For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God passed over the sons everyone expected and chose David, the youngest brother who was out tending the sheep.

We see this pattern throughout Scripture. God chose an elderly Abraham and Sarah to begin a nation. He chose Moses, who protested that he wasn’t a good speaker, to confront Pharaoh. He chose Gideon, who described himself as the least important person in the weakest clan, to defeat an army. Jesus chose ordinary fishermen and common people to become His apostles and carry the Gospel throughout the world. Again and again, God seems to delight in using people who don’t look like the obvious choice.

Paul explains why: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong… so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29). When extraordinary things happen through obviously extraordinary people, we are tempted to admire the people. But when God accomplishes extraordinary things through ordinary, weak, and unlikely people, there can be only one explanation: God did it.

And that brings us back to Israel. Why did God choose them? Deuteronomy gives the most beautiful answer imaginable: “because the LORD loves you.” They didn’t earn His love by becoming great enough for Him to notice them. His love came first. His choice was rooted in His own character, His covenant faithfulness, and His grace.

The same is true of our salvation. God did not save us because we finally became impressive enough to deserve Him. Paul reminds the Corinthians that not many of them were wise, powerful, or of noble birth when God called them. Our salvation leaves no room for boasting because everything we have received has come through grace. Christ accomplished what we could never accomplish for ourselves, and therefore all the glory belongs to Him.

Maybe you’ve spent much of your life feeling ordinary. Maybe you’re not the strongest, smartest, most talented, most successful, or first choice for much of anything. You may look at someone else and think, God could really use a person like that. But what could He possibly do with me?

You might be surprised.

God has never been limited by the weakness of the people He chooses. In fact, throughout Scripture, our weakness often becomes the backdrop against which His strength is most clearly seen. The question isn’t whether you are impressive enough for God. The question is whether you will trust Him, obey Him, and make yourself available to Him.

So if you think you’re not much, not all that great, and not first in much of anything, don’t count yourself out.

You may just be exactly the kind of person God loves to use. 😊

Reflection Questions

Have I ever assumed God couldn’t use me because I didn’t feel talented, important, or impressive enough?
Why does God often choose unlikely people to accomplish His purposes?
How does knowing that God’s love is based on His grace rather than my accomplishments change the way I see myself?
What might God be asking me to trust Him to do through my life right now?

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that Your love for me is not based upon how impressive, talented, strong, or successful I am. Thank You for choosing weak and ordinary people so that Your extraordinary power can be seen through them. Forgive me when I compare myself with others or assume You cannot use me because I don’t measure up. Help me to trust You, obey You, and make myself available for whatever You desire to do through my life. And when You accomplish something through me, may all the glory belong to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.