One of the unexpected lessons I learned during my years as a physician had very little to do with medicine. There were physicians who seemed to know everything. Others had remarkable technical skills. But when patients spoke about the doctors they appreciated most, they rarely mentioned those things. Instead, they remembered the doctor who came back to the hospital after dinner because something wasn’t right. They remembered the phone call that wasn’t rushed, or the physician who pulled up a chair and stayed a few extra minutes after delivering difficult news.

It wasn’t simply what those doctors knew. It was that they were there. That memory came back to me recently when I heard an anonymous quote: “Our best ability is our availability.”

The more I thought about it, the more it reminded me of how God works throughout Scripture. Moses immediately explained why he wasn’t the right person. Gideon couldn’t imagine that God would choose someone like him. Even Peter had every reason to believe Jesus should have found someone more qualified. Yet God called them anyway.

I’ve often wondered how many times I’ve quietly talked myself out of doing something because I didn’t feel prepared. It’s easy to convince ourselves that we’ll serve God someday—after we’ve learned a little more, become a little wiser, or feel a little more confident. But God doesn’t usually ask us to have everything figured out before He calls us. He asks whether we’re willing to trust Him enough to take the next step.

When Isaiah heard the Lord ask, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  he didn’t begin listing his strengths or weaknesses. His answer was wonderfully uncomplicated:

Here am I. Send me.
Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)

I don’t think God is looking for perfect people. If He were, the Bible would be a very short book. He’s looking for men and women who are willing to make themselves available. Sometimes that means helping a neighbor. Sometimes it’s an unexpected conversation. Sometimes it’s simply listening when someone needs to be heard. We never know what God intends to do through an ordinary moment of obedience.

Perhaps our greatest ability has never been our intelligence, our experience, or our accomplishments. Perhaps it begins the moment we simply say, “Lord, I’m available.”

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #Isaiah6:8

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