I laughed when I read 1 Samuel 17:32. David, just a teenager has gone to Saul to tell him he’ll fight the giant Goliath. David enters and says, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” In other words, David says, “Guys, just chill out. I’ll go fight this guy. No worries!” Coming from a teenage boy to Saul, a man of war, this probably got a lot of laughs from anybody listening! Nobody was laughing, though, when he killed Goliath with a slingshot.
Sometimes God uses the least qualified people to do the most extraordinary tasks, ultimately bringing Him the most glory possible. David had never fought in a battle before. He had no experience with a sword or armor. God didn’t choose David because of his abilities, but rather because he allowed God to use his inabilities. David was able to kill Goliath because he trusted God to take him past his abilities. If we can do something within ourselves, then God will let us do it by ourselves. It is when we say, “God, I can’t do this on my own, and I have to have your help” that He can use us beyond our wildest imaginations.
If you feel like God has called you to do something really big, beyond your capabilities, don’t think it is because of something you did or some ability you have. God chose you because of what you couldn’t do so He could do it through you and bring Himself glory.
A famous painter decided to offer an art class to hopefully instill some of his knowledge and talent into others. He had several students sign up to attend. Many of the students in the class had taken painting classes before, and already showed promising talent. They all hoped they would be his favorite student, the one he approved of the most. Some of the students were less talented, and one boy barely knew how to do basic strokes with a paintbrush.
The painter walked around with his paintbrush, giving tips here and suggestions there. Some of the more experienced painters rejected his information because they felt they knew better. Others said he didn’t understand their form of expression. He passed them up and came to the boy who had never before painted a picture. The boy wasn’t sure how to even begin. The artist came up and placed the boy’s hands in the correct position on the brush, and with his hand still guiding the boy’s, dipped the brush in paint. They lifted their hands together to the canvas, and the brush glided across the surface.
The master painter would tell the boy which colors would look the best together, and told him which strokes to use where, often guiding his hand. The canvases of the other painters had more paint on them and looked much better than the boy’s, but the boy was happy because the master painter was helping him. Day after day they would work on this painting together, and an image eventually began to form. Slowly a beautiful rose garden emerged, and the other artists began to look with resentment as they saw that this picture was far better than any of theirs. After the picture was done, many people looked in astonishment at it, for it was as good as any picture the master had ever painted.
The painting was a masterpiece because of the master’s touch. It would have been foolish for the boy to take the credit for the quality of the painting, and it would be equally as foolish and arrogant for us to take credit for the amazing things God can do in our lives if we let Him. The measure of our successes does not depend on our abilities or talents, but on how much we let the hand of the Master lead us.
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