Ordinary – The Extraordinary Power of the Commonplace

Will you make yourself available to God so He can use you greatly, revealing to the world how God's ability can flow through a person (2 Cor 4:7)? Jesus was considered 'just the carpenter' and dismissed by those in His own hometown, even though He was clearly much more besides (Mk 6:1-6). As a Christian, you are special to Him and His power resides in you. Will you let His love flow out to bring blessing to others? Yielding yourself to God means presenting your whole self — your talents, your time, your circumstances — as an offering available for His purposes, trusting that He who calls will also equip you (Heb 13:20-21).

You are special to God — His power resides in you

Yield by surrendering yourself and your resources to God. Being available is more important to God than our ability — He needs instruments to work through while He is more than capable of providing the ability (Deut 8:17-18; Zech 4:6). Moses, Gideon and Mary are examples of those through whom God worked mightily even though they knew and expressed their limitations with the reasoning that this would exclude them (Ex 3:11-4:17; Jdg 6:12-16; Lk 1:34-38). God does not demand perfection before He acts; He asks for willingness. When we offer what little we have, He multiplies it beyond our expectations, proving that the source of power is not in the vessel but in the One who fills it (2 Tim 2:20-21).

Don't focus on your lack, focus on His ability

Throughout Scripture, God consistently bypasses the proud and the self-sufficient, choosing instead those whom the world considers insignificant. David was the youngest son, tending sheep when the prophet came looking for a king (1 Sam 16:11-13). Ruth was a foreign widow, yet she was drawn into the lineage of Christ (Ruth 4:13-17). The fishermen Jesus called were not scholars or religious leaders — they were ordinary working men (Mt 4:18-22). God's pattern is deliberate: when He uses the weak, the lowly, and the despised, no one can claim the glory belongs to anyone but Him (1 Cor 1:27-29).

God chooses what the world discards

God has always used ordinary objects to accomplish extraordinary results. A shepherd's staff parted the Red Sea (Ex 14:16). A jawbone of a donkey brought deliverance to Israel (Jdg 15:15-17). Five small loaves and two fish fed thousands (Jn 6:9-13). A jar of oil sustained a widow through famine (2 Kgs 4:1-7). These items weren’t magical; they were simple, everyday things placed in the hands of a powerful God. Their impact came from being devoted to a higher purpose, not from their inherent qualities. Even if you think what you have is insignificant, it may be just what God wants—and that includes you.

The ordinary becomes extraordinary in God's hands

To live as an instrument of God's power is to adopt a posture of daily dependence and willing surrender. It means recognising that your adequacy does not come from yourself but from God (2 Cor 3:5). It means being attentive to the Holy Spirit's leading, even when the assignment seems beyond your capacity. Paul understood this when he wrote that God's power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Rather than shrinking back from service because you feel unqualified, step forward in faith, trusting that God will supply what is lacking. A life surrendered to God becomes a conduit for His grace, touching others in ways you may never fully perceive this side of eternity.

Surrender daily, trust His sufficiency