When God Chooses the Unlikely

I hope you are someone who writes in your Bible.

I know some people prefer to keep their Bible looking untouched, but for me, my Bible is a reflection of my journey with God. The notes in the margins, the underlined verses, the dates I wrote beside passages, and the prayers I have written down are reminders of the ways God has spoken to me throughout different seasons of my life. 

Writing in my Bible helps me slow down and truly absorb God's Word. It helps me remember what He has taught me, what He has brought me through, and how He has grown me. It is part of my process of walking closer with Him. 

Recently, I was reading 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, and I found myself stopping and reflecting on these powerful words:

"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."

These verses are such a beautiful reminder that God does not choose people based on the standards the world uses.

The world looks for talent.

The world looks for status.

The world looks for influence, power, wealth, and accomplishments.

But God looks at the heart.

The world may overlook someone because they don't seem qualified enough, experienced enough, or important enough. But God has always been in the business of using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

Throughout Scripture, God chose people who didn't seem like obvious choices.

Moses felt inadequate and questioned his ability to lead.

David was the youngest son, overlooked even by his own family, yet God chose him to become king.

Gideon saw himself as the least in his family, yet God called him a mighty warrior.

The disciples were ordinary fishermen, but Jesus chose them to help spread the Gospel throughout the world.

God has never needed perfect people.

He has always used willing people.

And that should give us hope.

Because many times, we look at ourselves and see what we lack.

We see our weaknesses.

We see our past mistakes.

We see the areas where we don't measure up.

But God sees something different.

He sees potential.

He sees purpose.

He sees what He can do through someone who is willing to trust Him.

One of the greatest lies we can believe is that we have to become "enough" before God can use us.

The truth is, we become useful when we surrender what we have to Him.

God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called.

He takes our weaknesses and shows His strength through them.

He takes our ordinary lives and uses them for His extraordinary purposes.

Looking back over my own life, I can see so many moments where I knew it wasn't because of my own strength that I made it through. There were seasons where I didn't have all the answers, where I felt unsure, where I wondered how things would work out.

But God was faithful.

He was building my faith.

He was shaping my character.

He was preparing me for things I couldn't see yet.

The very places where I felt weak became the places where I experienced His strength the most.

That is what makes God so amazing.

He doesn't need us to impress Him.

He simply asks us to trust Him.

Your background doesn't disqualify you.

Your past doesn't disqualify you.

Your weaknesses don't disqualify you.

If God can use fishermen, shepherds, the overlooked, and the unlikely, He can use you.

So don't compare your calling to someone else's.

Don't measure your worth by worldly standards.

Remember that the same God who chose the unlikely people throughout Scripture is still choosing people today who are willing to say, "Lord, use me."

Because when God gets the glory, our weaknesses become the perfect place for His strength to shine.

And sometimes, the people the world overlooks are exactly the people God chooses to use the most.

When I look back over my own life now, I can see so many moments where it was because of God's strength that I made it through. That the seasons where I didn't have all the answers, where I felt unsure, where I wondered how things would work out — He was there.

God was faithful.

He was building my faith.

He was shaping my character.

He was preparing me for things I couldn't see yet.

The very places where I felt weak became the places where I experienced His strength the most.

I have learned that God doesn't waste any part of our story.

The painful chapters.

The seasons of waiting.

The moments when we felt forgotten.

The times when we wondered if we were enough.

God can use every single piece.

Sometimes the very things we wish we could erase are the things He uses to show His grace, His mercy, and His faithfulness. The places where we were broken become the places where He brings healing. The places where we felt weak become the places where His strength becomes the most visible.

When I look back, I don't just see the struggles I walked through. I see God's fingerprints all over my story.

I see the people He placed in my life at the right time.

I see the doors He opened that I never could have opened myself.

I see the ways He took someone who didn't always feel qualified and reminded me that my qualification comes from Him.

The same God who used a shepherd boy named David, a fisherman named Peter, and countless other ordinary people throughout Scripture is still using ordinary people today.

People who have flaws.

People who have scars.

People who have a past.

People who simply choose to say, "Yes, Lord."

Maybe today you feel overlooked.

Maybe you feel like you don't have enough talent, experience, knowledge, or strength to be used by God.

But remember this:

God has never been limited by what the world sees.

He is not looking for the most impressive person in the room. He is looking for a willing heart.

A heart that says, "God, I may not have much, but what I have belongs to You."

Because when we surrender our weaknesses to Him, He gets the glory.

And that is the beautiful thing about serving a God who chooses the unlikely.

He doesn't choose us because we are enough.

He chooses us because through Him, we can become everything He created us to be.