Strength in Weakness

"Despise not men or things,
However weak or small.
God loves to choose,
And mightily use
What men count nothing at all."
~C.T. Studd

He chose to use Ehud: a man whose right (and possibly primary) arm was lame [see note at bottom of post], to kill Eglon and deliver Israel.

God chose David, a shepherd boy and the youngest and smallest of his father's sons, to rule His chosen people Israel. He chose him to be in the lineage of Christ.

“God is not looking for extraordinary characters as His instruments, but He is looking for humble instruments through whom He can be honored throughout the ages." ~A. B. Simpson

Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with they God?

God is not looking for humans' wisdom, knowledge, outward strength, good looks, or popularity with others; but, rather, those who love Him, His ways, and walk in humble obedience to Him.

"Keep us little and unknown, prized and loved by God alone." ~Charles Wesley

1 Corinthians 1:27
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;

It is humbling to think that God not only can, but wants to use people such as we. The perfect God wants to use us but do we want to be used of Him?

As in salvation, God does not force us to do His will. Mordecai reminded Esther, "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

Don't be afraid of how, where, or when God might use you and don't "limit Him" by your own "inadequacies."

2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Isaiah 55:8-9
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

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Note: In the process of writing this post I saw on another website the example of Ehud being used by God in spite of or through his right arm being impeded; I had never heard before that he had used his left hand because of an impediment to his right hand. I thought that was very interesting. I had always assumed and heard that he was just left-handed by birth; the fact that he was a Benjamite made it seem even more natural and easier to read over without thinking twice about it. My curiosity was peaked and I looked at a few commentaries and then used SwordSearcher (a Bible program I love) to see the King James Version with Strong's links and the Hebrew words inserted.

Adam Clarke says: "Ehud the son of Gera - a man left handed - איש אטר יד ימינו ish itter yad yemino, a man lame in his right hand, and therefore obliged to use his left."