Whom God Chooses to Use

Luke 1:8

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,

If you have a heart for God, you will want God to use you. Since I was a teenage boy, I have always had a heart for God to use me mightily. My prayer since I was a teenager was that if God would not use me mightily that I would rather Him just take me to Heaven.

What I have learned from those early desires and prayers is that God is willing to use anyone, but He won't just use anyone. There are many people more talented, gifted, and connected that God does not use because they don't feel they need God. Let me share several things God looks for to determine whether He will use them.

First, God uses the humble. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; The foolish and weak things God uses realize they need God. They cannot look at what they have and believe they have anything God would want, but if He chooses to use them, they are willing to give Him what they have for His use. God never uses the person who feels God is privileged to have them. Let the Scriptures be very clear on this: you need God, He does not need you. If God can preach a sermon through the mouth of a donkey, He certainly does not need you. God only uses those who feel privileged that He would use them.

Second, God uses the available. I think of the boy who was available to give his lunch to Jesus and how that boy could have missed the greatest moment of his life had he been unavailable for God's use. You ought to be willing to drop everything for God to use you. Are you available if God wanted you to quit your job, give all your money, surrender your hobbies, or give all your time for Him? Those whom God has used and will use are those who are completely available for His use. If you are tied to the things of the world, you are hurting your ability to be used by God. God chose Isaiah because he said, Here am I; send me. You will never be greatly used by God until you have an here am I; send me attitude.

Third, God uses those who walk with Him. Abram was a friend of God, Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD, David was a man after the heart of God, and Enoch walked with God. God needs you to walk with Him before He will choose to use you. You should walk with God so that God will walk with you so that you can have the heart of God. Amos 3:3 asks, Can two walk together, except they be agreed? God only chooses to use those who are walking with Him. He wants to know that you want to be with Him, and the only way to know that is if you are walking with Him. If you want God to use you, you must walk with Him.

Fourth, God uses those who are busy. God chose Zacharias because he was busy executing the priest’s office. God called David when he was tending to the sheep, and He called Elisha who was plowing in the field. If you truly want God to use you, get busy serving Him. God is not looking for someone who says they will serve Him once He calls them; He is looking for someone who is already serving Him to use mightily. You will never know what it is like to be used by God until you get busy doing what you already know He wants you to do. God uses the busy; not the lazy.