The Kinds of People God Chooses to Use

Two months from today, millions will stream to the polls and vote in another important General Election. (Unless they’ve already opted for early voting to beat the rush.) One of the most cherished rights of our democratic republic is being able to vote, to collectively choose who will be representing us at the various levels of government. The Presidential race will command the most attention, but many other important offices also will be at stake. 

 

Conscientious voting can be challenging, choosing which candidates are most qualified. Alas, sometimes we look at the candidates and shrug our shoulders in resignation, concluding there’s not much to choose from. If only God would reveal which one’s the best.

 

Many factors can enter into voting decisions, two of them being the specific individuals seeking to be elected, and the policies they espouse. For many of us, character is an important criterion. We would like to be able to choose individuals of great integrity, unquestioned moral conviction and behavior, not tempted by greed and personal interests, and other admirable qualities.

 

Unfortunately, maybe because traditional and social media are so adept at beaming harsh lights on transgressions major and minor, it seems people possessing the traits listed above are harder and harder to find. 

 

For this reason, rather than holding their noses while casting their ballots, some eligible voters will opt not to vote at all. That’s their choice. Voting is a right, not a requirement. But in reading the Scriptures, I’ve discovered that if we’re searching for leaders demonstrating sterling character and flawless perfection, it’s a very short list. A list of one: Jesus Christ.

 

Everyone else in the Bible, even those celebrated as heroes of the faith, possessed more warts than some toads. It’s amazing to consider the kinds of people God has used in the past to accomplish His purposes. A comprehensive list could fill a hefty book. So, we’ll just look at a handful of the misfits the Lord selected to lead and intervene on behalf of His chosen people.

 

Speaking of God’s chosen people, we’ll start with Jacob, who was later renamed Israel. He became the namesake for the ancient Israelites, their descendants being referred to as God’s “chosen people” to this day. This was despite the fact he was remarkably short on scruples.

 

His given name, Jacob, can be translated “to supplant or overreach,” which is exactly what he did in scheming to steal his brother Esau’s birthright. Then he compounded the deed, deceiving Isaac, his nearly blind father, to snatch the patriarch’s special blessing from Esau. Double whammy! You can find this account in Genesis 27-28. Nevertheless, God used him.

 

Then there was strong man Samson, one of history’s first superheroes. His story is recorded in Judges 13-16. We’re told, “…the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). On several occasions “…the Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power” (Judges 14:19) and Samson performed great feats of courage and strength.

 

Unfortunately, he had an eye for the ladies, including one seductress named Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines bribed her to find out the source of Samson’s strength. After several attempts, he confided in her the promise God had made. As a result, the Philistines were able to subdue him, gouging out his eyes and throwing him into prison. But Samson had the last laugh so to speak, literally bringing the house down by toppling the central pillars of their pagan temple, killing everyone in it including himself.

 

King David was described by God as “a man with a heart after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). That sounds good, right? And yet, as we read starting in 1 Samuel 16 through the opening chapters of 1 Kings, he was an adulterer, a murderer, and the head of perhaps the most dysfunctional family in history. How could the Lord use a person like that?

 

The key was that when confronted by his sins, David was genuinely repentant, humbly acknowledging his wrongdoing without making excuses. God not only used him to reign over the Israelites but also to author many of the Psalms. In one of his penitential psalms, David wrote:

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:10-12).

 

We could cite many others with major flaws and shortcomings, such as Moses, King Solomon, and the apostles Peter, Paul, James, John and Thomas. But the point is simple: If God chooses, He can and will use anyone and anything to accomplish His divine purposes. As Proverbs 16:4 states, “The Lord works out everything for His own ends – even the wicked for a day of disaster” (Proverbs 16:4).

 

As election day nears, as we weigh both character and where candidates stand on important issues, we all will be hoping to see our favorites receive the most votes. However, our confidence should be anchored in God alone. 

From the book of Proverbs, we have these assurances that ultimately, God is in control: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord” (Proverbs 21:30). This should give us unwavering hope. 

Everyone’s a Potential Comeback Story

Comebacks. They are among the most inspiring, heart-tugging parts of the human experience. Someone who’d accomplished some things of note, then encountered major setbacks before overcoming those challenges to achieve greatness again.

 

Nowhere are comeback sagas more plentiful than in the world of sports. Tiger Woods’ victory in the Masters golf tournament in 2019 immediately comes to mind. After reaching the pinnacle of professional golf, he’d gone through adversity in many forms. Then, after years of struggle, Woods compiled a championship weekend to don his fifth green jacket.

 

Keith Byars about to throw a shoe
en route to the Illinois end zone.

My personal favorite comeback story – if you’ll indulge me for a moment – occurred on Oct. 13, 1984. On that date my alma mater, Ohio State, had fallen behind visiting Illinois 24-0 early in the second quarter. Since the Buckeyes had been upset by Purdue the previous Saturday, fans feared the worst. 

But the Scarlet and Gray staged a memorable comeback that included an amazing 67-yard touchdown run by running back Keith Byars, who lost a shoe on the way to the end zone. At game’s end, the scoreboard read: Ohio State 45, Illinois 38.

 

But we don’t have to be gifted athletes, or even avid spectators, to experience the thrills of a comeback. When we’ve messed up – really messed up – as we all have at one time or another, the God of mercy and grace stands firm, eager to restore and use us, sometimes in ways far beyond anything we could have imagined.

 

How do we know this? Because in the Bible we find story after story of people who, with God’s enabling power, were able to rise above shattered lives to be used by Him in wonderful, sometimes unlikely ways.

 

For Exhibit A, we can offer Joseph, the fair-haired son of Jacob. His father not only gave him a “richly ornamented robe” (Genesis 37:3) – known in other translations as the “coat of many colors” – but Joseph also boldly told his brothers of two dreams in which they would be bowing down before him. Not exactly the way to win the siblings’ popularity contest.

 

In a fit of jealousy, the brothers stripped Joseph of his robe and threw him into a cistern, then sold him to a passing caravan of merchants. Sold to Potiphar, a high-ranking Egyptian official, Joseph was making the best of a bad situation when falsely accused of sexual assault by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. In essence, out of the Egyptian frying pan and into the Pharaoh’s fire.

 

However, that’s not the last we hear of Joseph. God providentially puts him into a position to become second-in-command in Egypt, answering only to Pharaoh. The one-time boastful brother becomes the instrument to save not only his family but also God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, during a time of severe famine. He was named “Comeback of the Year” by Hieroglyphics Monthly.

 

Then we have Moses, a Hebrew raised in the household of another pharaoh. He was enjoying a royal life until forced to flee the country after killing an Egyptian in defense of a fellow Israelite. For the next 40 the one-time Egyptian prince performed the humbling duties of a sheep herder.

 

God decided that was enough time to prepare Moses. One day while leading his flock on Mount Horeb, “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush” – a bush that to Moses’ surprise did not burn up. Having his attention, God commissioned him to lead a different flock, the people of Israel, after four centuries of slavery in Egypt. 

 

A truly humble leader – Moses asked, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) – God used him and his brother, Aaron, to accomplish the unthinkable.

 

There are numerous other examples in the Scriptures, including King David, the prophet Daniel, the apostles Peter and Paul, and others. In each case, the formula for making a “comeback” was simple: Humility; repentance; and determination to surrender to God’s will, no matter what it required.

 

Why should this matter to us? Because each of us is a potential comeback story. Perhaps you (or someone you know) grew up in a ‘Christian home’ where you attended church regularly, learned about Jesus Christ, read and studied the Bible, and yet have drifted away from the faith. After years of trying to make life work without God, it’s evident that isn’t working.

 

Is it possible to return? Read Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The Lord didn’t present the story of a father’s unconditional love for his wayward son for its entertainment value. It was to convey the eternal Father’s eagerness to welcome back those who have strayed for whatever reason.

 

Or perhaps at one time you were walking closely with the Lord, having a strong impact in the lives of others, but then became “burned out.” You took a spiritual “vacation” that has lasted a lot longer than you originally intended. Now you wonder whether God can ever use you again. 

 

I can think of no more encouraging Scripture passage than the words of King David after confessing his adulterous sin with Bathsheba. He prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:10-12).

 

For anyone in need of a spiritual comeback, the Lord is always ready with two words: “Come back.”

The Key for Overcoming Crushing Mistakes

If you’re a football history buff, you’ve probably heard about “Wrong Way” Roy Riegels. Even if you’re not, we all can learn a lot from his memorable mistake – and the way he reacted to it.

 

Roy Riegels running the wrong way.
(Wikipedia photo)

On Jan. 1, 1929, the California Bears were playing Georgia Tech in the Rose Bowl. An outstanding athlete, Riegels played on both the offensive and defensive lines. In the second quarter of the game, one of his teammates fumbled the ball at Georgia Tech’s 30-yard line. Riegels picked up the ball and started running with it – except in the wrong direction, toward his own team’s goal line. He was finally tackled at the Bears’ one-yard line, by one of his own teammates.

Georgia Tech scored a two-point safety on the next play, and those points made the difference in Tech’s 8-7 victory, which gave them their second national championship. For most observers, Riegels’ stunning mistake was responsible for his team’s defeat.

 

Many people haven’t heard what happened when Riegels returned to the sideline. Understandably distraught, he told his coach, Nibs Price, he wasn’t going back on the field. “Coach, I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined myself, I’ve ruined the University of California. I couldn’t face the crowd to save my life.”

 

Price looked in the eyes and responded, “Roy, get up and go back out there – the game is only half over.”

 

He did, and played an outstanding second half, including blocking a punt. Despite his efforts, Riegels’ team fell one point short, magnifying the two points Georgia Tech had scored because of his errant run. 

 

But he put the embarrassment and notoriety behind him, being named team captain his senior season, earning All-America honors, and helping California to a 7-1-1 record. Riegels refused to let the stigma of his wrong-way run turn into a life-crushing mistake.

 

Most of us don’t have to live down the infamy of such a public blunder. I’ve never experienced running the right direction on a football field, let alone the wrong one. But we’ve all made mistakes in our lives, some so minor that hardly anyone knows about them, but others that haunt us to this day.

 

As with Riegels, we can’t rewind those moments or erase them. Typically, our stumbles in life don’t offer us a do-over – or a mulligan, if you’re a golfer. We must face the consequences, and sometimes they’re severe. At such times we have two choices: We can crumble under their weight, or we can heed the advice of Riegels’ coach: “The game is only half over.”

 

One of the distinctive qualities of the Bible is its candor. It doesn’t varnish or sugarcoat the stories of its main characters. They’re presented in all their flaws, along with their sins. For instance, we have King David of Israel, who committed adultery with a married woman and then arranged for her husband to be killed in battle, hoping to cover up his misdeed. There’s impetuous Peter, who boasted of never forsaking Jesus – and then did exactly that. Then there’s Saul (later named Paul), who devoted his life as a zealous Pharisee to persecuting Christians. And many others.

 

Each recognized their sins but didn’t let those define them. When the prophet Nathan confronted David, he did not deny his wrongdoing or offer excuses. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13), and later wrote, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin…. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:1-12).

 

Peter denied Christ three times while He was facing a Roman inquisition, but unlike Judas Iscariot, the apostle refused to let that be his final act. As we read in John 21:15-19, after Jesus’ resurrection, He restored Peter by asking him – three times – if he loved Him. Each time Peter would reply, “You know that I love you,” after which Jesus said, “Follow Me.”

 

Numerous times Paul had the opportunity to give testimony of his divine encounter with Jesus while traveling on the road to Damascus. The experience immediately took then-Saul off the persecution circuit and transformed him into a fearless ambassador for his Lord.

 

In 2 Corinthians 2:1-3, the once proud and self-confident Paul confessed to believers in Corinth, “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.”

 

Each of these men, and many others in the Scriptures, committed seemingly unforgivable acts, and yet God forgave them completely. As it says in Psalm 103:12, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

 

This can be our experience as well, knowing that whatever we’ve done is part of our history, but need not be part of our future – if we repent of it, entrust it to the Lord, and receive His spiritual healing and forgiveness. As Paul wrote late in his life and ministry, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

 

Like Roy Riegels, the game isn’t over for us yet.

Offering a Cure for the Proud, Petulant and Pouting

In my last post, I addressed how God can take His children going through times of brokenness and employ His own divine “Kintsugi” repair program. We don’t like the process of becoming broken, but it’s a part of the Lord’s plan for each one of us, shaping and molding us into the people He intends for us to become. And He often fills in the broken places and cracks with “glue” more precious than gold or silver.

I thought I’d revisit this briefly because it raises a good question: Why is brokenness so important to God?

For an answer, we can consider an excellent biblical example – Jonah in the Old Testament. Nestled between the books of Obadiah and Micah, the story of Jonah is a curious one. In that short book we read about the Lord’s call for Jonah to go to the prosperous, pagan city of Nineveh, inhabited by the Assyrians. He becomes the most reluctant of prophets, first attempting to flee in the opposite direction to Tarshish, spurning the call to lead a revival among the Ninevites.

Illustration courtesy of ChristArt.com

God foils his flight by sending a severe storm on his Tarshish-bound ship. This results in Jonah being tossed overboard but, instead of drowning, being swallowed by a huge fish that became his “home” for three days and three nights.

Humbled and broken, helpless to change his circumstances, Jonah utters a prayer of repentance: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry…. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple…. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:2-9).

Alas, we quickly discover that even after times of brokenness, we often fall back on our attempts to fix ourselves. The huge fish spits Jonah out and he does go to Nineveh with his message, “Repent. The end is near.” To his dismay, the despised Ninevites, led by their king, humble themselves and confess their sins, turning back to God. Jonah becomes a petulant prophet, pouting because of God’s compassion.

“O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity" (Jonah 4:2).

Apparently the prophet thought it was all right for him to turn back to God in repentance, but for a huge city of people he hated – not so much. It seems more breaking was in order for Jonah.

This is a cautionary tale for us all. Perhaps you, as it was for me, discovered your desperate need for God during a time of feeling broken and helpless. It’s often said, when there’s nowhere else to turn, look up. However, we remain a headstrong people and quickly can forget all the Lord has done for us. 

When the chaos has turned to calm, we recapture our smug, “I can do it myself” attitude. More than once, perhaps not in so many words, I’ve thought, “Thanks, Lord. I’ll take it from here. If I need any more help, I’ll let you know.” When we take that attitude, God politely removes His hand of protection and waits. “Let Me know how that works for you, My child!”

For a time things might go smoothly, but then we find ourselves back at the end of our self-sufficiency. So we have to enroll in the School of Brokenness again. And again. And again.

Thankfully, as Jonah said, we worship and serve a God who is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” When we again declare our independence and spurn the Lord’s kind offers to intervene, He’ll let us return to brokenness school for a refresher course. 

Some of us are slow to learn, but our God is a patient teacher. When we finally reach a point of surrender, as King David did in the following prayer, He’s ready to welcome His “students” with open arms of grace and mercy:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit.”

         – Psalm 51:10-12

Matter of the Heart, Part II

Since I write my blog posts about two weeks in advance, this one is a bit “anticipatory.” Last week I was scheduled to undergo a second heart procedure, and my prayer is that as you read this, I’m already well along in my recovery process.

If you’ve been reading my blog over the years, at least once a year I’ve reflected on my open-heart surgery in December 2006, when I underwent an ARR (aortic root replacement) – having my entire ascending aorta replaced, including the aortic valve, along with four arterial bypass grafts. (Don’t I sound medical?) Anyway, my surgeon was up front from the start, pointing out that perhaps 10-12 years down the road, I’d need to have the aortic valve replaced. Apparently, replacement valves don’t come with lifetime guarantees.

My "heart pillow," a fond
souvenir from 2006.

The procedure I was to have is called a TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement). This was determined after I had a TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiogram) administered several weeks earlier. (Now your medical alphabet is as good as mine!) This test showed my 11½-year old valve wasn’t working properly and had to be replaced. Actually, a bovine valve (consisting of cow tissue) was to be inserted inside the old one. If I seem more mooooo-dy these days, or develop an insatiable craving for milkshakes, that’s probably the reason.

So I’m calling this post, “Matter of the Heart, Part II.” Interestingly, my hospital wasn’t even doing the TAVR procedure until 2011, five years after my original surgery. Praise the Lord for advances in medical science and cardiac care!

Going in, the cardiologists and surgeons told me that given my overall physical shape, and relatively young age (this procedure is most commonly performed on people in their late 70s and 80s), I had a very good chance of coming through it with the proverbial “flying colors.” That’s my hope, even if I still can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. But whether you’re having heart surgery or getting your tonsils out, there’s always some risk factor.

Prior to my first surgery, while pondering my then-uncertain future and reading my Bible, God directed me to Psalm 41:3, which read, “I will raise him from his sickbed and heal him of his disease.” I remember at the time it seemed as if this verse were printed in neon lights. From that moment, I felt “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), even though I knew the Lord had every right to choose to take me from this earthly life if He so willed.

This time I saw no message in neon, but over the course of my reading came across Psalm 27, which included the following passages that seemed encouraging: 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?.... Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident…. [God’s] heart says of you, ‘Seek my face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek…. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

As I’ve mentioned before, the Scriptures say a lot about the heart, even though most of the time it’s in reference to emotions and motivations. But in my experience, and in the years I served as a volunteer visiting patients who had just undergone open-heart surgery, I can’t help but believe God built a spiritual component into the organ whose primary role is to keep blood consistently coursing through the body. It’s a daunting, humbling feeling to know you’ve approached death’s door during heart surgery, yet haven’t passed through it. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,” and in Psalm 51:10, King David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Repeatedly, the foremost challenge for all who follow Jesus Christ is to keep their heart right.

As I write this, trusting I’ve come through my surgery well, I have two “desires of the heart”: To do all I can to keep my physical heart strong to serve my God, family, friends and everyone I encounter, and to keep my heart (my thoughts and motives) right with the Lord that I might live faithfully for Him and speak His truth for anyone who wishes to know more about Him. And may I say, as we hear so often in the South, “Bless your heart!”