God Chooses Imperfect People

Do you think you are imperfect? Do not Worry!

God uses imperfect people for His glory. God can use the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary, the natural to accomplish the supernatural. Let us explore a historical incident recorded in the Bible in 2 Kings, which says, 

“And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?”

– 2 Kings 7:3

Leprosy is a sign of divine punishment. In Israel, if a person has leprosy, he must go to the priest and ask him to pray and intercede for his sins. The priest will dip Hyssop, a perennial herb, in water after praying over it and sprinkle it on the leper. Faith is the primary means of receiving healing, and only God’s healing touch can heal. If the leper is not healed, he must condemn himself, as does society, and he must dwell beyond the city walls.

In this historical incident, we can see that Samaria is in Israel, ruled by King Joram, and is the residence of the prophet Elisha. The Syrians besieged Samaria with 70,000 chariots and a massive army. Food was not accessible since the people of Samaria or the King could not leave their gates. One day, while the King was walking along the palace balcony, looking out at the Syrian army and wondering how he would bring in food for his people, a lady approached him in tears, pleading for justice.

The lady claims that due to a lack of food, she and her friend chose to eat their own sons. This lady killed her son, and they ate him for a few days. It is now her friend’s turn to kill her son so that they can eat, but she refuses and protects him. As he heard this, the king became frustrated and tore his clothes in despair. The king was angry with the prophet Elisha because he had yet to receive God’s revelation for his kingdom. The king summons his messenger and orders him to kill Prophet Elisha since Elisha did not pray for Samaria. The messenger went to the prophet Elisha as instructed, and the king went behind him.

The king’s officer did not believe this and told Elisha, “Even if God cuts open a window in heaven and forces out grain, this can’t happen. That’s the amount of poverty here.” So, Elisa said, “Tomorrow, you will see it, but you won’t eat it, you will die.” 

“Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.”

• 2 Kings 7:1

The king’s officer did not believe this and told to Elisha, “Even if God cuts open a window in heaven and force out grain, this can’t happen. That’s the amount of poverty here.” So, Elisa said, “Tomorrow, you will see it, but you won’t eat it, you will die.”

The king threatened prophet Elisha with beheading if his prophecy did not actually happen. Prophet Elisha began to pray fervently, pleading with God to do a miracle in order to save his life. God is a God of miracles. Here we see God using imperfect people to save the people of Samaria. Elisha’s prayers were heard and answered by God.

If we read 2 Kings 7 from verse 3, we see four leprous men at the gate of Samaria who decide to go to the Syrian camp to ask for food. They were prepared to die by the Syrian’s sword, as they were dying of leprosy and starvation. When the leprous men approached the Syrian camp, the Syrian army began to hear the sounds of chariots and horses, as well as a large army advancing towards them. They assumed Samaria had gained the support of the neighbouring king’s troops. The Syrian army retreated immediately, leaving behind all of their supplies and goods. As the lepers arrived at the camp, they discovered that it was deserted but that all of the food supplies were still there.

The lepers ate the meals and returned to inform their king. The next day, early in the morning, just as the prophet had said, a measure of fine flour and two measures of barley were sold for a shekel at Samaria’s gate. The people of Samaria hurried with everything they could bring for food exchange, and in the midst of the commotion, the king’s officer was run over and killed, even though he could see the food but could not consume it, exactly as the prophet Elisha said. In this true historical incident, we see Elisha pleading to God to save the people of Samaria.

God hears his prayers and chooses condemned lepers to chase the Syrian armies rather than young men in Samaria or the Samarian army. God sent His angels to walk with the lepers so that the Syrians would be chased out of their camps.

When we are ready to confront our challenges, angels are sent to fight for our cause. We are not alone in our battles. Isaiah 45:2 says,

“I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:”

If God can use four lepers to save the people of Samaria, He can also use you. You may not be perfect, but God sees the heart, and if you repent of your sinful ways, you will be made righteous through Christ.

The four important things that we need to do for God to use us are:

1. Purify Yourself – If God wants to use you, purify your mind

We can learn how we should purify ourselves in order for God to use us if we read Job 11: 13-19. God has great plans for our lives, and we must learn to align our hearts’ desires with God’s desires. Remove all negative thoughts, forget about your past sinful life, and focus purely on God.

• Purify Your Actions

Romans 6:13 says,

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

Rehabitate, reject a careless lifestyle, repent, and renew your body according to the scriptural pattern for God’s use. You can know your identity in Christ and be God’s child when you confess your sins and accept God.

•  Prioritize – The way you handle your time, talent and treasure

Remember the three C’s

1. Clarify – Analyze our lives and seek God to reveal the true purpose of our calling.
   1. Calculate – Determine how we will use our talents, time, and money.
   1. Calendar – A plan without action is just a dream. Create a calendar and start putting your plans into action.

• Glorify God in Everything

We must learn to glorify God in every circumstance. Whatever the situation, whether sickness or financial crisis, we must put our trust in Him and glorify His name for the miracle that is on the way, even if we cannot see it. The Bible says,

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

• John 17:4

Christ faithfully finished his mission here on earth and glorified God in all of his ways. Your talents should be used to glorify God, and whatever you accomplish should bring glory to God’s name.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, if we choose to purify our hearts and minds, our actions, prioritize our time for God, and start glorifying God’s name in everything, we are allowing God to work through us. God will begin to use us to bring about transformation in our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and wherever we go.

“We may think we are imperfect, yet there is nothing God cannot do through our lives.”

– Bro. Phillip Ruben