Handpicked

We have spent the last few weeks talking about what we can do to get oil in our lamps, to burn with a holy fire, get the engagement ring of the Holy Spirit and prepare for the second coming of our King Jesus. This week we are going to look at the first coming of Jesus. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born as a little baby in a little town called Bethlehem. The first time God came He was lowly and humble and here to serve humanity, which will be a direct contrast to how He will return.

God has a unique way of dealing with things. He does not do things in the way we would expect Him to, Isaiah 55:8-9. Who would think, God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all the universe when faced with the task of saving redeeming humanity, would come in the form of a baby. In the form of something He created and birthed by someone created by Him? Yet, this is what God decided to do and this was what had been prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.

See the Israelites knew God to be big, strong and a mighty deliverer. They had seen Him come through for them time and time again. Exodus 15: 2-3 says, “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him! The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name!” Verses 6-7 say, “Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, smashes the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you. You unleash your blazing fury; it consumes them like straw.”

This is a mighty God, a powerful God, a strong God, a fierce God. You can imagine how hard it is to reconcile this God with the little baby boy that was born in a manger in a small insignificant town. It just messes with the human brain. How could God be so strong yet make Himself so vulnerable? How could God be so powerful and yet make Himself so small?

That is so like God, isn’t it? To hide greatness in small and seemingly insignificant things. How could the birth of a baby in a barn be part of the plan to save humanity? Yet, it was integral to God’s plan. God hides greatness in what we consider to be insignificant. We see it with King David, how he started as a shepherd boy whose own father (Jesse) did not even consider him worth calling to the party, when the prophet said he wanted to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king. Jesse called all his sons except David. Imagine that. He did not want to waste the prophets time with little ol’ shepherd boy David, but David was the one God had handpicked to be king, 1 Samuel 16:1-13.

We see this with Gideon, who was hiding from his enemies in a wine press, and God handpicked him to lead Israel to victory. We see this with Jael, a woman who had stayed back at home while the men had gone to war and the general of the opposing army came to her home looking for a place to hide and rest and she drove a tent peg through his head, securing victory for the nation, Judges 4:17-24.

We see this with Mary the mother of Jesus. There is no other significance attributed to her in the Bible other than being the mother of Jesus. She was just a virgin girl, minding her business, about to be married and God handpicked her to carry greatness, Luke 1:26-38.

We see this with the Samaritan woman, who was hiding from people because of her shame and who went to a well at a time she knew no one would be there so she did not have to speak to anyone or face anyone but instead encountered Jesus and was used by God to spread the message of Jesus in her city, John 4.

God picks people and places we would not pick. So, it makes sense that instead of coming as a mighty warrior, He instead chose to come as a lowly baby born in a barn. To show us that you don’t have to be born great. You don’t have to be born rich. Not everyone needs to know who you are for God to use you. It does not matter how small or insignificant your city is, God cares about it.

You may be called to the people in your workplace. It does not matter whether you are the janitor, if God put you there, He can use you there.

What makes all the different faith heroes and Bible characters stand out is not who they were before they encountered Jesus. It is what they did after they encountered Jesus. Your “Yes” of obedience matters. Mary had to say “Yes” to being the mother of Jesus. If she said, “No, thanks. This seems like a lot.” We may be reading about Martha or some other lady. In fact, we do not even know if Mary is the first person God approached. Maybe there was a Sarah who said no. The people we read about, are the ones who stepped out in obedience.

We read about Jesus because He stepped out in obedience to the Father. From being born a baby all the way to the cross. You have been handpicked by God for purpose, your obedience matters.

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.