God's strange ways

This was my friend Beth's Sunday:

"I missed the service, was in a grumpy mood, had to teach Sunday school, had to tutor someone, and went shopping. Then I got home and had a very encouraging talk with Joan, where I said a bunch of things that I know to be true but that I don't bank on most of the time, so I live with far less joy than necessary. And I talked to two old Italian ladies about heaven at Dunkin' Donuts, where I was not supposed to be (I'm shouldn't be eating stuff like that right now). . . ."

I love the way God uses us in our mess, don't you? Notice the "out-of-place" elements in the story, and notice also the divine appointments God planned for those out-of-place elements, as Beth performed little obediences even when she was not in good form.

It reminds me of other stories we know in Scripture, of people who were in places they should not have ended up in, and how God ordained to use them there anyway. How about Jonah? Never should have been on that Tarshish-bound ship. But the detour turned into an evangelism opportunity toward a few sailors who needed to hear about "the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9).

In a way, these stories really mess up your sermon outlines. You want to teach about how Jesus did nothing without hearing from the Spirit (John 5:30), and went nowhere without seeing where the Father was working (John 5:19; 8:28)-and how we should be imitators of Him (1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1; 1 John 2:6).

You can still preach that sermon, brother. It is always best to be following hard after the Spirit, of course. But isn't it wonderful how God can use us when we are at our worst?

Listen to commentaries by Andrée Seu.