Have you ever had to do something you felt unqualified for? You may have been thinking, “Why me?”, “Is this really ok?”, “What should I do?” When God asks us to do something, we can be confident that it will never be outside our capability because the God who made us knows exactly what we are capable of. Moreover, God can use the young, the old, the weak, the stuttering; anyone who puts their trust in Him can be used for His glory. God can use any person who puts their faith in Him to build His kingdom. We have examples in the Bible of people from different countries, with different personalities at every stage of life serving God and being used by Him, so don’t be afraid to step out in faith and obey the voice of God.
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Age is not a qualifier.
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Samuel was a boy when he heard the voice of God (historians think he might have been around 11 years old). He set himself to listen, and God prophesied through him.
Josiah was 8 years old when he became king of Judah. He would have been around 26 years old when the Book of the Law was found and he destroyed the idols in the land, and restored true worship in Judah.
David was a youth, perhaps only in his mid-teens when he killed Goliath with his shepherd’s sling, saying,
“… You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” [1 Samuel 17:45]
Moses was 80 years old, and his brother Aaron was 83 years old when they told Pharaoh to set the people of Israel free from Egypt.
Abraham was 100 years old when God’s promise to Him was fulfilled in the birth of his son Isaac through Sarah, his wife.
Paul, in his letter to Timothy affirms both the old and the young as valuable in the eyes of God.
[1 Timothy 4:12] – “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
[1 Timothy 1:5] – “… I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”
At any age, we can hear the voice or God, choose to obey Him and say, “Lord let Your will be done.” Something I often pray is, “Lord, let me always be in wonder at your majesty.” For me, I want to grow in wisdom and maturity of faith, but I never want to lose the child-like wonder of experiencing the majestic love of God.
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Training is not a qualifier.
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[Acts 4:13] – “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus.”
David was a shepherd when he killed Goliath of the Philistines. His armour was His faith in God and assurance that God would win the battle for His people.
Moses thought himself to be “slow of speech and slow of tongue” [Exodus 4:10]. Yet God still used him in Egypt to speak to Pharaoh and proclaim God’s message to Him. In response to Moses’ feeling inadequate for the role, God responds,
[Exodus 4:11-12] – “… Who has made man’s mouth? Or who has made the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
[Acts 4:13] tells us the testimony of Peter and John as they preached the word of God.
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus.”
They were fishermen, not teachers of the law or scribes. Yet, by spending time with Jesus. They gained revelation and were filled with the Holy Spirit to know the things of God.
There is no barrier God cannot cross, no weakness that cannot be transformed by His strength. If God calls us, we know He will also help and teach us.
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The only pre-requisite for being used by God is a willingness to surrender to Him.
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Hillsong’s “I will run to you”, has the following chorus:
“And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the Spirit of God
Yes, I will run the race
‘Till I see Your face
Oh let me live in
the glory of Your grace.”
God is our truth. He is our might and He is our power. It is not by our own strength that we run the race, but through our surrender to the Spirit of God who constantly revives us in the loving grace and revelation of God.
Joseph acknowledged that it was not himself, but God who gave interpretation of dreams.
Peter and John had no silver or gold for the lame man at the temple gate. Instead they gave him what they did have, their faith in Christ. In the Name of Jesus, the man was healed to walk, leap and praise the Lord.
There is no age limitation, no financial or education pre-requisite for service to the Lord. All that is required is a heart willing to surrender to His love and follow Him.
[Romans 12:1-2] – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
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