{Written by Johanna Rose}
Have you ever found yourself inquiring of
the Lord why he chose you for the task at hand? I certainly have. So many
times, I find myself asking, “Lord, why would you choose someone such as I? Why
would you choose someone so very insignificant, and small, in order to
accomplish such an important task, and fill such a huge roll?? What on earth were you thinking, Lord??? I
find myself so inadequate for the task.”Similarly, I find that I often ask the Lord why he chose others for great tasks. Why would He choose someone, whom I consider to be small, week and unable, to accomplish something that I know to be very important. Why?
Thoughts like these, I am sure, have gone
through each and every one of our minds. It is in our nature to want to know
exactly why things are the way they are. We forget that He is in control – we disremember
that He actually did choose us – and
we fail to recall that He chose us for His
own special reasons.
Recently, I came across the book “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien, and
found that once I had begun browsing its contents, I realized that it was
nearly impossible for me to put down.
In Chapter One of ‘The Hobbit’ many things are portrayed. We meet Bilbo Baggins, who
is a kind-hearted little hobbit, who shares the same traits which most hobbits
possess; good natured, clean and tidy, hospitable, food-loving, neighborly, caring,
and of course, a homebody – which naturally leaves us with the knowledge that
Bilbo is not partial to adventures.
Bilbo lives in a hole in the hill – “Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with
the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with
nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means
comfort.” {Excerpt from Chapter one of The Hobbit} He has everything that a
hobbit could want. He is perfectly happy with his circumstances, and has no
desire to have anything change. However, one afternoon, as he is happily
smoking his rather-large-pipe, Gandalf drops by. After a short encounter, Bilbo
has a feeling that change is in the air, and sure enough, the next day, we see
that Gandalf has chosen him for a special task; and before Bilbo knows what has
happened, he has embarked upon the last thing that he would have ever wanted to
enter upon; an adventure.
While I continued to read, I observed that Bilbo has strong doubts about himself. He finds that he is not fit to be an ‘expert burglar’, he believes himself to fall short of what Gandalf requires of him, and he questions whether he will be able to accomplish what is asked of him – or if he will even make it back to his little home – in the Shire – alive. Why would Gandalf choose him, rather than someone more able?
While I continued to read, I observed that Bilbo has strong doubts about himself. He finds that he is not fit to be an ‘expert burglar’, he believes himself to fall short of what Gandalf requires of him, and he questions whether he will be able to accomplish what is asked of him – or if he will even make it back to his little home – in the Shire – alive. Why would Gandalf choose him, rather than someone more able?
Not only do we find that Bilbo himself has
doubts about whether he is right for the task, but we also perceive that
Bilbo’s traveling mates – thirteen dwarfs – have similar doubts as to whether
Bilbo was the right choice. At one point, Gloin ask Gandalf exactly why did he
choose this particular little hobbit. But Gandalf returns his enquiries by
saying; "There is a lot more in him
than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself."
When reading this, it made me ponder why
Gandalf did choose Bilbo Baggins.
What did he see in him? What made him so sure that Bilbo was, indeed, the right
choice? Subsequently, after pondering these things, it made me wonder why the
Lord chooses certain people for important tasks. And thus, this made me
contemplate why the Lord chooses me for certain commissions in life. After
reflecting upon these things, I believe that I found the answer to my
inquiries.
I saw clearly that just as Gandalf chose
Bilbo – a simple, ordinary, and small hobbit – and used him to defeat evil, and
advance the kingdom of truth, it is just so, in how the Lord can use you and I
– a humble, commonplace, and delicate young woman – and use us to defeat wickedness,
and advance the Kingdom of Holiness for Jesus’ names sake.
In addition, we recognize from the choices
Jesus made, while He was walking the earth, that He was setting an example – a
touchstone – for us to look upon and follow.
If Jesus had chosen princes, priests,
prophets, and kings; rather than fishermen, tax collectors, and other mundane
men, then we would be left to suppose that only men of higher ranks, such as
these, would be able to serve Jesus Christ. Instead, He chose ordinary men,
such as James, Peter and Andrew – among others – to become His disciples, in
order to show both them and us that He is able to use anyone who offers their
lives to the Lord.
We observe that the Lord chose a commonplace
maiden, Mary, for the tremendous joy and responsibility of being the blessed
Mother of Christ Jesus. What an amazing occupation! And what an amazing example
this is for me, as well as other young woman. To know that the Lord can use
just an ordinary girl, for such an incredible task, only leads me to believe
that I too can be used as a tool in the hands of my precious Savior, in order
to bring glory to Him.
My very favorite apostle in the scriptures would have to be Paul; who is yet another example of an unlikely man to perform the things of the Lord. While Paul was an anti-Christian at one point in his life, and was set on destroying followers of Jesus Christ, the Lord still saw something in Paul. The Lord showed, through Paul, that there was a lot more in Paul then anyone could see, and a great deal more than Paul could even see in himself.
My very favorite apostle in the scriptures would have to be Paul; who is yet another example of an unlikely man to perform the things of the Lord. While Paul was an anti-Christian at one point in his life, and was set on destroying followers of Jesus Christ, the Lord still saw something in Paul. The Lord showed, through Paul, that there was a lot more in Paul then anyone could see, and a great deal more than Paul could even see in himself.
Today, reader, maybe you are going through
something in your life where you find yourself asking “Why would the Lord choose me for this?” In closing, I would like
to encourage you to remember this: the Lord has chosen you for a special
reason. He wants to work within you, and transform you into a beautiful
creation – fit for beautiful occupations. Let Him work.
Abundant Blessings to you,
~ Johanna Rose ~
3 Words of Grace:
Beautiful post! I have been feeling a lot of this as of late, not so much "Why did God choose me?" but "Why did the Lord choose that I am to be set apart at the moment?"
Thank you both for writing such encouraging articles, dears!
Much love,
Grace
Wonderful post, Bethany and Johanna! I love the verse, Luke 1:38, where Mary said, "...behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word...". This always reminds me that I should surrender my entire life to Him and always do His will. Thank you for your encouragement!
Blessings,
Raquel
P.S. And by the way, I just want you to know I love your blog and enjoy reading your posts. Check here:http://ladyinviolet07.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-blog-award.html
Johanna,
Our pastor just talked about this a few weeks ago! This was very encouraging. I have found myself saying this a lot, and it is true God did CHOOSE us a special reason! Thank you dear sister! Continue striving to know Him.
In Him Alone,
Emily J.
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