When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
Acts 4:13 describes the reaction of the people when they realized that Peter and John were unschooled, ordinary men. They were astonished that these ordinary men had been with Jesus. This passage gives both hope and courage to live boldly and to follow Christ where He leads. When I spend time with the Lord, I gain confidence and feel as though I could climb Mount Everest. That may be a bit of an exaggeration; however, when I cling to the Lord, spending time in His Word and talking with Him in prayer, my perspective changes from saying “I can’t do it,” to I can do all things through God who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
When I sensed the Lord calling me to teach His Word, I felt so inadequate. I was like the disciples in many ways—unschooled (had not been to seminary) and very ordinary! I have been so dependent on the Lord to teach me His Word and to give me the ability to teach others. The more I depend on Him, the more He shows up! My hope is that people will be astonished at how the Lord can use an ordinary, untrained woman to teach His Word! I also hope that others will know that I have been with Jesus. What hope we have in knowing that the Lord uses ordinary men and women to accomplish His purposes on earth!
What about you? Do you sense that the Lord is calling you to do something but you feel inadequate? Hang out with Jesus and He will equip you and anoint you to do whatever He calls you to do. People will be astonished at how He uses ordinary people like you and me.
Heavenly Father,
I have been afraid to step out in faith and do what I sensed You were calling me to do. I feel inadequate and I fear failure. But today I place all of my inadequacies in Your hands and choose to spend time with You. I acknowledge that it is from my time with You that I will be transformed into an extraordinary person who can accomplish anything with Your strength! -In Jesus’ name, Amen
