Moses is a historical and spiritual giant; he is one of the most famous world leaders in history, led one of the largest movements of people in ancient history, and recorded God’s Ten Commandments.

David is another one of these giants; he was a brilliant warrior and the most famous king of Israel. God promised to bring the Messiah to the world through David’s bloodline (which was fulfilled through his descendant Mary).

Then there were the apostles who were called personally by Jesus; they performed miracles, spread the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire, and stayed strong in their faith despite persecution.

From a Christian perspective, these men are some of the most important people in history, yet they weren’t extraordinary when God found them. In fact, two of the only things that these men have in common is that they all answered God’s call and that none of them were equipped to do the jobs He called them to.

God planned to choose a prophet to lead Israel. He wanted someone who would rally the people and speak out for their freedom from Pharaoh. God would be giving this prophet precise orders the entire time; thus the primary role of this man would not be decision making but instead making speeches and organizing people.

Conventional wisdom would tell us to choose someone that people want to follow and someone who could debate well with the most powerful king in the ancient Middle East. Instead God chose Moses, who described himself as “not eloquent…but I am slow of speech and of tongue” (Exodus 4:10).

Many Christian and Jewish translators agree that Moses had crippling social anxiety, a stutter, and/or some other form of speech impediment. For many years it was Aaron, Moses’ brother, who spoke for Moses in public. No wonder Pharaoh had trouble letting someone like Moses make demands of him.

Moses seems like a terrible candidate, but he answered when God called. The Lord was not hindered by Moses’ flaws; He just needed Moses to continue in faith.

Moses was transformed by his service to God; after Aaron died, Moses had to make the speeches himself. The book of Deuteronomy records the end of Moses’ life, and the majority of the book is taken up by a massive speech that Moses made to Israel.

God led the prophet Samuel to anoint David as King of Israel, even though Saul was already king in Israel. Saul was a famous warrior and leader; David was the youngest son of a shepherd.

David had no means of pressing his claim for the throne, and so he went to serve Saul until an opportunity presented itself. That opportunity came when the Philistines invaded Israel, and Goliath stated that war could only be avoided if the Israelites sent a champion who could defeat him in a duel (1 Samuel 17:9).

David volunteered, and Saul offered him a sword and suit of armor. David declined these gifts, as he did not know how to fight with them (1 Samuel 17:39).

He beat Goliath anyway, with a sling and stone. Later on he eventually raised an army and defeated Saul.

David had no combat training, no experience leading troops, and no preparation for running a government; yet he excelled at all of these.

He never relied on his own skill; he trusted God in all these endeavors.

As God told Samuel when the prophet was sent to anoint David as king, “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature… For the Lord sees not as man sees…the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Jesus came to Earth at a time when there were many groups of scholars amidst the Jewish people. There were the priests, Scribes, Pharisees, and plenty of rabbis.

Jesus had plenty of talent to choose from to fill the roles of the apostles; the apostles were going to be teachers, theologians, and community leaders. Instead Jesus first recruited fishermen, promising to make them “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

This set Jesus’ standard for the apostles; none of them were prepared to preach or perform miracles. However, all God needed from them was faith; “…if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to the mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

With the faith of the apostles God built a solid foundation for Christianity in the Mediterranean, and from there it spread into a global faith.

God did not choose Moses, David, or the apostles based on merit or qualification. He was not concerned with their practical skills or experiences, He chose them because they were willing to answer His call.

What these three examples reminded me of is how I need to be willing to step out of my comfort zone when I feel compelled to do something. God will do incredible things with your faith; just be ready to act when you feel He is calling.