Have you ever felt like you were not good enough, worthy enough, or too messed up to ever do anything useful for God or other people? I am familiar with a Bible passage that describes a person that may never have given any thought to being a warrior. His name is Gideon.
“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:12.
I would have loved to see Gideon’s face when the Angel of the Lord called him a mighty man of valor. After all, when the Angel visited him, he was in the middle of threshing wheat in a winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. The Angel of the Lord then turns to Gideon and says: “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” And what was Gideon’s reply? “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Gideon seems to have a very low opinion about himself. God is wanting to do something great through Gideon, but the fear and a low self esteem has blinded him of the fact that he is chosen from God to do a great work. Gideon did what so many of us do today. We doubt that God can use us because we don’t feel good enough. So before Gideon can accept this promise from God, he does what so many of us do: he asks for a sign. He wanted proof to know that God really was speaking to him. I have done this before. I have told God things like ……God, if this is really what you want me to do, then you’re going to have to show me a sign. If I was spending time with God every day like I should have been, I should have already known his plan for my life. And yet, fear and doubt enveloped me and I began to question whether I have heard from God and I ask for proof that He is really speaking to me. I mean, who am I that God would choose me to do something great for Him? And yet the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that:
“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
Have you ever felt like Gideon? Has God called you to do something so big, you don’t think you are equipped for the job? You look around and see so many other people who would be better candidates, and you wonder why God has chosen you. After all, you may feel like you are the last person God would want to use. You look at yourself and see all of the flaws, but God looks at you and sees His finished product. You are His masterpiece. God sees you completely different than the way you see yourself.
I have questioned God many times about why He chose me to become a Pastor’s Wife and a Worship Leader. Most of the time I feel so inadequate. And to tell you the truth, I have probably failed many times. And yet, despite all of my flaws, God moves mightly. I think the reason God calls the ones who feel the least qualified for the job is because, one, He knows we will rely completely on Him, two, He will receive all of the glory, and three, He can trust us with whatever it is He is calling us to do. God will always give you the ability for the work He has for you to do at the time you need it.
Gideon laid out two more fleeces just to make sure he was hearing from God. You have to understand something, Gideon was full of fear and he was so used to being a nobody and hiding, he couldn’t comprehend why God was choosing him. Like Gideon, you may feel like everyone has forgotten you. You may feel abandoned and been told that you were crazy for thinking that God would want to use you. But you are in the right position for God to raise you up and call you to be a mighty man or woman of valor. Don’t allow people to dictate to you whether or not you are good enough. God made you and He thinks you are perfect. He has given you dreams and desires for a reason. You can either trust Him to perfect what He has given you, or you can succomb to fear and say to yourself, “this isn’t from God.”
“I want to help you decide that, by the power of God, you will not be ordinary.” -Smith Wigglesworth
You are extraordinary!! You have a purpose and because of the grace God showers upon us, you are chosen in spite of yourself!
Finding Joy In Today 