Unleashing Divine Surprises: The Power of Unlikely Candidates - 1 Co 1:26–31

In this next train of thought, it appears that Paul is playfully posing a rhetorical question. He's asking his fellow brethren, "Do you grasp the magnitude of what you're signing up for here?" In more colloquial terms, Paul is saying that if you're seeking approval and recognition solely from the world, according to its standards, then you've completely missed the point. What Paul was really asking the Corinthians was whether they were ready to embrace being seen as "fools for Christ" in a society that highly esteems worldly wisdom, no matter how misguided that wisdom may be.

We can derive a straightforward principle from this passage: God favours the most unlikely candidates. This principle completely contradicts any form of human wisdom that we can conceive. This pattern can be observed consistently throughout the Old and New Testaments. Consider the case of Abraham and Sarah, who were chosen to be the progenitors of the Jewish nation. According to certain Jewish traditions, Abraham came from a lineage of idol makers. How improbable was it for God to choose him? Now, let's take this a step further and ponder why God waited until both were advanced in age before promising them the blessing of becoming the ancestors of a great nation. How likely was Sarah, with her aged and infertile womb, to conceive? How probable was it for God to choose Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, figures like Sampson and David, or any other biblical character you can think of? Why did God select Israel, a small nation compared to its more dominant neighbours, as the nation through which the promised Messiah would come into the world? And why did God choose Paul, seemingly against his own will, and use him to advance the gospel among the Gentiles? These thought-provoking questions highlight God's propensity for choosing the most unexpected individuals and circumstances to fulfill His divine purposes.

We can absolutely argue that God has a thing for choosing the most unlikely candidates. When it comes to basketball, everyone knows the taller you are, the better. It just makes sense! And when it comes to being a horse jockey, the smaller you are, the better! That's common knowledge! And there you have it, folks—that's the pinnacle of human wisdom right there.

But here's the twist: God's wisdom is a total head-scratcher for us, mere mortals. As we've discussed before, what seems wise to us is pure foolishness to God, and vice versa. Let's take the classic example of taking down the mighty giant, Goliath. If it were up to us, we'd gather the biggest, brawniest dudes we could find from the crowd because, you know, that just makes sense. But in God's infinite wisdom, He goes ahead and picks a mere youth armed with a sling and five smooth stones. Go figure!

And here's the bottom line, my friends: God deliberately chooses the most unlikely individuals so that when He shows up, there's no doubt that He's the one pulling the strings. He loves surprising us by empowering those least expected to do extraordinary things. Why? Well, it's all part of His grand plan to remind us that if we want to boast, we better brag about the Lord because He’s the show’s real star. So, let's give credit where credit is due and embrace the wacky (from a merely human perspective) and unpredictable ways of God's wisdom.

According to scripture, we know that God showers His grace upon the humble while actively opposing the proud. Here’s a thought-provoking question: Do you see yourself as the least likely candidate? Perhaps you feel overlooked or perhaps others have doubted your potential. Well, guess what? Here's some fantastic news: You might be the next addition to a remarkable lineage of "least likely" individuals who have done extraordinary things for God.