The God who chooses the broken

Rahab had everything stacked up against her: She was a gentile prostitute when the Jews prepared to conquer Jericho. Standing between the loss of her family or death for treason, she chose to believe in the God whose fame had reached her ears. Her blind faith earned her a place among the few women mentioned in Jesus’ lineage.

David — the shepherd-turned-king — was a man of passionate faith, yet deeply flawed. One night, while walking around the roof of the palace, he was overcome by temptation while watching Bathsheba bathing. He committed adultery with Bathsheba — his captain’s wife — and then arranged for the man’s death after learning she was pregnant. And yet, even before he became king, the prophet Samuel pronounced David “a man after (God’s) own heart.”

Simon Peter was a leader among Jesus’ disciples. He was the first to swear eternal allegiance to the master and quickly picked up his sword to defend his friend when Roman soldiers came to arrest him. And yet, fear dismantled the disciple’s resolve during his master’s darkest hour, and he denied even knowing him. But when the resurrected Christ found Peter, he commissioned him to “feed his sheep,” thus propelling him to become the first leader of the early church.

And these are only a handful of less-than-ideal characters whose redemption stories echo through the ages. Indeed, I can’t help but smile when I think about the numerous times throughout Scripture where we find God using the most unlikely, broken people.

If you are a believer who often feels less than adequate to be called a “child of God,” you are in good company.

It’s certainly easy to think that our weaknesses or past mistakes disqualify us from being used in a mighty way for God’s purposes. Still, I truly believe that this is the very reason God chose to record these stories in detail in the Holy Bible.

Whether we have a criminal record or our past choices have permanently stained our reputation among men, it does not matter. In God’s economy, once his grace reaches us and we are forgiven, we become his greatest asset. Through his grace, he empowers us to change the world.

A beautiful story that perfectly embodies this concept reached my inbox a couple of months ago, offering an opportunity to interview another guest for my podcast, God-sized Stories.

Angie Howell is the author of “Jewel of Heaven: A Beautiful Story of Brokenness, Redemption, and the Power of a Biker’s Prayer.” Her memoir tells the raw and powerful story of a woman at the end of herself.

A pediatric nurse and mother of seven, Angie finds herself facing a failing third marriage and an unplanned pregnancy. When her baby girl, Jade, is born with a fatal brain condition, Angie is overwhelmed with guilt and despair. Ready to take her own life, she reluctantly agrees to meet with a group of Christian bikers who hold a prayer meeting every week. To her utter surprise, God uses this encounter with the most unlikely people to deliver a miraculous healing to her daughter, Jade.

For those who often feel like misfits — broken by life, dismissed by others or disqualified by shame — Howell offers a living testimony: God’s mercy still finds the weary, and his grace still seeks the lost and reaches those whose faith is wavering. No one is beyond the reach of God’s matchless love.

And for anyone walking through the fire today, her journey reminds us that God is still in the business of using our most painful circumstances to showcase his glory and birth new purpose. Like rough stones refined under intense pressure, the trials that threaten to crush you today may one day reveal the treasure hidden within the weight of your suffering.

Patricia Holbrook is a columnist, international author and speaker. Visit her website www.PatriciaHolbrook.com and her podcast God-Sized Stories with Patricia Holbrook to listen to the interview. For speaking engagements and comments, email patricia@PatriciaHolbrook.com.