2024 Fasting Devotional

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

James 5:17-18

Far too often you may not feel up to the task before you. You may not think you have the skills, resources, or ability to complete the assignment you are facing. This is a normal part of the human experience—the feeling of inadequacy. This feeling of insecurity is a tool of the enemy that affects almost every person. It is the dynamic that caused Moses to ask, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 TNIV)

In those moments of natural self-doubt, be reminded that the remarkable reality of human history is that God uses ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary purposes. James 5:17-18 says that Elijah was just an ordinary man, but God responded to his earnest prayers and brought rain to the people of Israel.  In Acts 4:13, after God healed a crippled beggar through Peter, the people noted that Peter and John were just ordinary, unschooled men, but it was clear that they had been with Jesus. God can use you despite your weaknesses, insufficiencies, failures, and your past. In fact, God is more likely to use ordinary people so that people will know that only He is the true source of all that is good, lovely, and holy. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 we are told that God chooses the most unlikely people, and surprises the world with what they can accomplish.

When you believe that nothing significant can happen through you, you are revealing more about your belief in God than you are revealing about yourself. He is the One who chose you, and in spite of all of your inadequacies, His choice is perfect..  Trust God to work through you to accomplish His good purpose