Before David became king, he fell out of favor with King Saul and had to flee for his life. At that time he began to gather some men around him. The description of his followers is interesting—“All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.” (1 Samuel 22:2). One might think that David would rather have acquired a group of followers who had fewer problems, but I guess you take what you can get. David took this group of men and worked with them, and eventually this ragtag army began to shape up. Look at how these men are described in 2 Samuel 23:8—“These are the names of David’s mighty warriors…”

Imagine that! This group of people who were once “in distress or in debt or discontented” became something quite different—they became mighty warriors! By following a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) and fighting God’s battles, these men eventually became everything God had intended for them to be.

This is a pattern we see throughout Scripture. Jesus took a diverse group of 12 unheralded men and started a movement that has impacted billions of people. The movement continues today as Jesus uses unremarkable people like us to do something truly remarkable—spreading the good news of salvation through Jesus!

So, if you ever get discouraged because it seems that you “don’t have it all together”, just remember that God can take ordinary people and use them to do extraordinary things. And, in the process, they become mighty warriors for God!

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”—1 Corinthians 1:26-27.