They were like us

When I was a little girl going to Sunday School, I thought people like Abraham, David, and Peter were God’s best friends and were sort of like God themselves. Now I’m not telling you that my teachers taught me that,  but maybe you thought the same thing! I know better since I’ve grown up, but I still think of them as much better than me. Let’s take a few of them and find out.

Abraham was told by God to take his whole household and go with him. Now, he didn’t tell him where to go, just to go! He took his wife, all their servants and all his livestock and went. But when he traveled to a certain city, he told everyone his wife was his sister. I guess he thought it would be safer for his wife, who was a beautiful lady. So he lied.  But God forgave him.

Jacob and Esau’s mother played a joke on her husband when she wanted her second born son, Jacob, to get her husband’s blessing instead of the firstborn son Esau. Her husband was very ill and entirely blind, so she thought she could fool him so she put animal fur on Jacob’s arm because Esau was very hairy, she had him dress in Esau’s clothes and she made a stew that just her husband and Esau liked. Her shenanigans worked. Jacob got the birthright blessing! I’m sure she was forgiven too, but we aren’t told so. Or was she doing God’s will? In any case, she really changed things.

How about New Testament men like Peter? He just sat around the fire swearing that he didn’t know Jesus, who was arrested and was heading into trial. He felt terrible after he did that, but it was already done and God forgave him. Just look at all he accomplished.

Then there is always Paul who traveled everywhere spreading the Gospel. He was told by God to travel to Nineveh to save that city, but he went to Tarshish instead. God was pretty hard on him, but forgave him and used him in Nineveh and many other countries.

Yes, they were ordinary people just as we are. But do we serve Him? Do we even ask Him what we should do for him? Do we thank him like we should? Do we even pray to Him? Those people written up in our Bibles did a lot of praying, asking for forgiveness, thanking Him and walking daily with Him. Do we? The folks in the Bible were ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Maybe he needs us, ordinary people, if only we ask him. Have you ever thought about that?