Along the way ... For the week of October 6, 2013

Does God ever use the people we expect?

Yesterday we studied Leah's story.  Leah was Jacob's first and unwanted wife.  Jacob loved Rebecca best.  Yet God did not show the same favoritism.  The Bible says, "When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to conceive.  Yet Rachel remained childless." (Genesis 29:31)

I am not suggesting that God was punishing Rachel.  I, like Jacob (Genesis 30:2), have no idea what God was doing with Rachel.  My point is focused on Leah.  The LORD saw her need, had compassion on her, and gave her children.   God saw Leah was unloved, so He showed her love.

Leah is an example of someone unexpected being used by God.

As we discussed Leah's story we asked if there were other examples of God using unexpected people.
Examples abound.  Jacob, Moses, Deborah, Hannah, Ruth, David, etc.  As we listed some of the examples, we realized that the question needed to change.  Can you think of a time God used so memo we might expect?

It does not take long to realize that God never uses people or circumstances we might expect!  Even Jesus was born into a simple Jewish family in humble circumstances.  He was not the one we expected either.

So this gets me thinking.  Which of us is someone people expect will be used by God?   I assume not many of us would say we are the ones people expect will be used by God.  Yet this places us in familiar territory.  God uses unexpected people to achieve His purposes all the time!  So how can you offer yourself to God to be used unexpectedly this week?

I invite you to share your own thoughts and stories as journey together along the way ...