By Robin Sam
I must admit I am not a fan of the Indian cricket team. I used to be one, but not anymore. I have wasted quite a lot of time rooting for the team and come away disappointed at its fluctuating fortunes and realized the utter futility of being a ‘fan’ of mere men when I can be a ‘mighty weapon’ in the hand of God. But that’s another matter altogether.
Back to cricket. These are heady days for Indian team’s fans. The team has scored impressive wins against Pakistan and South Africa in Pool B of the World Cup currently under way in Australia and New Zealand. Much of the Indian team’s new-found winning ways and hunger for success is said to be the work of Ravi Shastri, the team’s Director.
In my boyhood days, I was a fan of Shastri. I lapped up his successes with the bat and the ball at the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket in 1985. The stylish batsman and left arm bowler was not a talented cricketer, but in the words of journalist and commentator Harsha Bhogle, “He may never be a Gavaskar, but he at least represents the great man’s virtues, even if by proxy. It would be a relief too, to know that he will never throw away his wicket for nobody guards his crease more fiercely.”
Kapil Dev under whose captaincy Shastri played a few matches is reported to have said that Ravi Shastri had only 50% ability but 200% determination. When I read this quote from Kapil Dev recently, I was reminded of how God is looking for people for His work.
God is not calling the superstars to do His work. On the other hand, He is inviting the bits and pieces players to join His Army. The bits and pieces players are those who have questionable ability. He does not look for the naturally endowed or supremely talented individual to do His bidding. If that were the case, He would not have called a stutterer to lead His people out of Egypt’s bondage. Despite Moses’ misgivings about his own ability, God stuck with him and did amazing things through him. When God called Abram and separated him to be the father of many nations, he was already an old man. Yet, God threw His lot with the geriatric man well past his retirement age and made him Abraham – the father of faith.
Why does God work in this manner? 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, ‘But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.’
Hannah, once a weepy woman, got it right when she said, ‘He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory (1 Samuel 1:28). She was confident of her testimony because God had heard her prayers and given her a marvellous answer in baby Samuel.
When God decides to recruit somebody for His work, He looks for the person’s availability more than his ability. Your ability may be questioned, but don’t let anyone doubt your sincerity to the Lord’s work and your availability to Him. Perhaps, you are a bits and pieces player without a Bible college degree; maybe you are a first generation convert; perhaps you are the only one to be saved in your family; perhaps you don’t have a spiritual mentor in your father or mother; perhaps you are the least in your family and your family is the weakest in the whole of your town. Gideon put forward such excuses before God when he was called for recruitment (Judges 6:15). God, however, graciously told him to go in his strength and assured him that it is He, Elohim, who is sending him to work.
If God is calling you to take up some work for Him this month – in the church as an usher, as a teacher in Sunday school, as a volunteer in some ministry be ready to say ‘Yes’ to the Lord and sign up for His ministry.
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