“Yehovah chose…the foolish…the weak…the base.” 1 Corinthians 1:28
Over the past few days, we have looked at the lives of a several people whose stories are outlined in detail in the Scriptures for all to see. We have seen how even the people we, quite rightly, esteem as heroes and heroines of the faith, men and women of Yehovah, were people as weak and as liable to fail and fall as we are. So, what made them stand out above their contemporaries? Despite their limitations they had faith in Yehovah and His willingness and ability to bring them through every situation they faced – in victory. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “…without faith it is impossible to please (Yehovah): for whoever comes to Yehovah must believe that He is (Yehovah), and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The implication of that verse is, therefore, that with faith it is possible to please Yehovah – despite our weaknesses, frailties and tendencies to fall flat on our faces and fail Him. In other words, we must have faith in Him, in His grace, His mercy, His ability and His enabling and empowering strength – and not in ourselves.
So if and when you are sometimes tempted to think Yehovah cannot use you, remember this: Noah got drunk, Abraham and Isaac both told lies, Sarah was barren until she was 90 years of age, Jacob was a con man and deceiver, Job was fearful, Gideon was so afraid he hid himself, Moses lacked confidence, Samson was a womaniser, David committed adultery and then had a man killed, Jeremiah and Timothy were young, Elijah got depressed, Isaiah said he was a man of ‘unclean lips’, the Samaritan woman had been married five times, Peter was impulsive and had a short-fuse, Thomas doubted, Peter, James and John all fell asleep while praying, all the disciples deserted Yeshua when He needed them most and Lazarus was actually dead when Yeshua called him. Whatever their limitations, Yehovah remained faithful to them all and, as a result, they achieved great things for Him. And if He could do it in the lives of these men and women of the Scriptures, the heroes and heroines of the faith, He can and will do it with you.