God chooses the weak

Today in A Year with the Church Fathers, St Ephrem the Syrian talks to us about who God uses to defeat our enemy.

He talks to us about the woman caught in adultery. But what he says applies to our lives more deeply than that. He puts these words in the mouth of Satan: "I am conquered by you, woman, and I do not know what I shall do!"

Throughout the Bible, and throughout history, we see God use the weak to accomplish His great will time and again. David slays Goliath. The few soldiers in David's army kill the thousands and the hundreds of thousands of their enemies. The weak humans are used to thwart the plans of the immortal, powerful spirits that rebelled against God before time began.

Why do you think He does this? Well, I'm sure there are reasons that we'll never understand. His ways are above ours, and His thoughts make our thoughts look like nothing. But a couple reasons DO come to mind. First, He uses the weak to teach us that no matter how weak we might be, He can still use us. No matter what you're struggling with, He can use you. He can do amazing things through you. He has used much less to do much more.

Second, it shows how masterful He is. He doesn't have to have a huge army to win. He doesn't need tons of armor to protect His children. He can take care of us using the simplest, most basic means. He can use the weak to protect the innocent. And He does so, every day.

When you find yourself feeling like a loser (and who doesn't feel that way from time to time?), remember. He delights in using the weak to accomplish His will. Trust Him. He'll work things for your good, and in a way that will show how awesome He is.

God, thanks for using the weak, like me.