Dear #PrisonersOfHope
I enjoy listening to Naye Lupondwana’s programme “ Facts of Faith”, on SAfm every Sunday morning on my way to church. It is a platform that allows listeners the benefit of hearing what faith communities have to say about the issues of the day. I just can’t recall what topic was being discussed, on that particular Sunday, but I remember a gentleman calling with a question that was irrelevant to what was being discussed. His question was “why did God use Moses, knowing very well that Moses was a murderer?” Naye politely told him that he was not going to entertain that question since it was not in line with what was being discussed. I remember laughing out loud upon hearing that question, not because the question was irrelevant but because the caller sounded so annoyed as he was asking the question. His question might have been irrelevant on that day, but it got me thinking…….
Yes it is true, Moses was a murderer, Moses had speech problems, Moses was insecure, as if that were not enough, the guy also had a short fuse. Moses also did not feel qualified to do what God had called him to do. In Exodus 3 v 11 Moses asked God “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ In Exodus 4 v 13 Moses pleaded with God, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” In the eyes of man, and in his own eyes, Moses was unqualified to be used by God. Despite his worst, God was still determined to use Moses to accomplish His purpose.
1 Corinthians 1 v 27-28 says, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify things that are, so that no one will boast before Him.”
I am always fascinated by the kind of people God used in the bible and the people He continue to use today to share Hope to the hopeless world. I found this interesting and I thought I should share with you. These are some of the characters God used:
Elijah – suicidal
Joseph – abused and an “ex-con”
Moses – murder, short temper and speech problem
Gideon – low self esteem
Samson – a womanizer with dreadlocks
Mirriam – a gossiper
Rahab – a prostitute
The Samaritan woman – a divorcee
Noah – a drunkard
Jacob – a cheater
David – a murderer and adulterer
Jonah – ran away from God
Naomi – a bitter widow
Ruth – a foreigner
Martha – worried about everything
Mary Magdelene – possessed by seven demons
Zacchaeus – was short and loved money
Paul – a mass-murderer who persecuted Christians before he became one.
Maybe you can identify with some of these unqualified people, and you are wondering if God can ever use you. God is greater than our guilt, shame, imperfections and all the things that tells us we are not worthy of His love. Don’t wait until you feel qualified to do what God is calling you to do. God qualifies the unqualified. 2 Corinthians 3 v 5 says, “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” NLT.
“Next time you feel unqualified to be used by God remember this, He tends to recruit from the pit, not from the pedestal.” Jon Acuff.
Signed: #RestoredMe