How God Uses Ordinary People for Extraordinary Purpose — My Story

One of the greatest encouragements in my walk with God has been realizing that He delights in using ordinary people for extraordinary purpose. For a long time, I assumed God only used the strong, the gifted, or the spiritually polished. But the more I’ve read Scripture — and the more I’ve lived my own story — the more I’ve seen that God’s pattern has always been to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.

I See Myself in the Ordinary People of Scripture

When I look at the people God used, I don’t see perfection. I see people like me.

• Moses struggled with insecurity and speech, yet God told him, “I will be with thy mouth” (Exodus 4:12).
• David was just a shepherd boy when God chose him (1 Samuel 16:11–13).
• Ruth was a foreign widow, yet God wove her into the lineage of Christ (Ruth 4:13–17).
• Peter was a fisherman with flaws, but Jesus called him anyway (Matthew 4:18–20).
• Mary was a young girl from Nazareth, yet God entrusted her with the Savior (Luke 1:26–38).

Seeing how God used them has helped me believe He can use me too.

God Has Never Asked Me to Be Extraordinary — Just Available

One of the most freeing truths I’ve learned is that God isn’t looking for my ability as much as my availability. When Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8), he wasn’t offering perfection — he was offering willingness.

Jesus did the same with His disciples. He didn’t choose the elite. He chose ordinary men and simply said, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19). That same invitation echoes in my own life. God isn’t waiting for me to become impressive. He’s inviting me to follow Him, trust Him, and let Him shape me.

My Ordinary Story Is Not a Disqualification

There have been seasons where I felt too simple, too flawed, or too unqualified for God to use me. But Scripture tells me otherwise.

Paul wrote, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27). That verse has become a lifeline for me. It reminds me that God intentionally chooses people who don’t look extraordinary so His power can shine through them.

My background, my personality, my weaknesses — none of these things disqualify me. In God’s hands, they become part of His purpose.

God Often Meets Me in the Ordinary Moments

I used to expect God’s calling to show up in dramatic ways. But more often, He meets me in the simple, everyday moments:

• A quiet prompting to encourage someone
• A small step of obedience
• A conversation I didn’t expect
• A burden placed on my heart
• A door I didn’t even know to knock on

Moses was tending sheep when God called him (Exodus 3:1–4). Gideon was threshing wheat (Judges 6:11–12). David was delivering bread (1 Samuel 17:17–20). The disciples were mending nets (Matthew 4:21–22).

God still steps into the ordinary moments of my life and turns them into something meaningful.

My Weakness Has Become a Place for God’s Strength

One of the most humbling lessons I’ve learned is that God’s power shines brightest in my weakness. Paul said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I’ve seen that in my own life. The moments where I felt least capable have often become the moments where God worked most clearly.

It’s not about me being extraordinary. It’s about Him being extraordinary through me.

I’m Part of the Story God Is Writing

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: God can use someone like me.

I don’t have to be the strongest, the smartest, or the most gifted. I just have to be willing. Because when I place my ordinary life in God’s hands, He does what only He can do — He turns it into something extraordinary.

And He can do the same for anyone who says yes.