When God Uses Your Ordinary to do the Extraordinary

Sep 24

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How often do you do something only to do it again tomorrow? Or in a few hours? Or in ten minutes?

In my house, I have a little white table in my kitchen. It’s for the little people. My children sit there to cut, color, glue, glitter, draw, do homework and eat snacks. Everyday, it seems I pick up the same box of markers, the same pieces of paper and wipe away the same crumbs – over and over again.

It’s what I do. I’m the mother.

Some days, I look at my house and wonder why. Why must I continue to load and unload the dishwasher? Wash and fold the laundry. Vacuum up the dog hair? I’ll just be doing the same thing again tomorrow. Why am I doing these things when I could be doing something bigger for God?

I pray for God to use me. I beg Him to open doors of opportunity. Send me on mission. Take me to the lonely and hurting. Draw me to the prisons.

But most days, He has me sweeping the same dog hair and cleaning the same dishes.

Again. And again.

I was reading the story of David and Goliath. You know, the one you’ve heard a million times in Sunday school.

And something stood out to me. Let’s recount the story together.

You see, David’s big brothers were in Saul’s army. They were camped near the valley of Elah. The Israelite army (good guys) was on one side of the valley and the Philistine army (bad guys) on the other. Every day, a nine-foot Philistine warrior came out and talked smack.

“Y’all ain’t got nobody to whoop me? Come on. If you can kill me, we will be your slaves. But if I kill you, you will serve us.”

You may have already guessed, but his name was Goliath.

David’s brothers were camped out here listening to Goliath every day. They were scared. David, on the other hand, was back at home watching his father’s sheep.

One day, David’s father Jesse told David to take some bread to his brothers and some cheese to their captains. (This is equivalent to sending banana bread to your child’s teacher.) Then he was to report back to Jesse how his brothers were doing.

If I was to send one of my children to take something to the other one and report back, I can expect to hear some complaining. But God used David’s obedience to an ordinary task to lead him to something extraordinary.

When David got there and heard Goliath’s trash talking, he was insulted. Not just for the army, but for God.

Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26 NLT

David went to Saul and told him, “I’ve got this. I can take him.” Saul tried to argue but David refused to listen reminding Saul how he fought wild animals to protect his sheep.

“The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” 1 Samuel 17:37 NLT

Saul tried to give David his top-of-the-line armor and weapons, but David turned it down for his regular digs and slingshot – the ordinary.

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We see this throughout God’s Word – He uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

So, David – a kid armed with only a slingshot and five smooth stones – kills Goliath. David wasn’t a giant, but he had giant faith and was obedient when his father asked him to do the mundane.

What mundane tasks are you doing today?

Sometimes God is waiting for our obedience in the simple things. You never know when your obedience in the ordinary tasks will lead you to slay giants.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:22-24 NIV

 

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  • Mai Bateson Oct 2 at 1:51 pm

    Very true. More often than not, we tend to forget how God equipped us to be the best person we are and yet we failed to appreciate it at times. I’m just glad that in an ordinary day like this, one extraordinary thing happened. Being reminded that no matter big or small we are the things that we do, as long as we serve Him with all heart and soul, we already made a purpose under heaven. Not only for ourselves, but for others too. 🙂

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