Why God Uses the Most Unlikely People | Judges 4:17–20

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Our text today is Judges 4:17-20:

But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” — Judges 4:17-20

What if the person God chooses to win the battle is the one nobody expected?

Sisera, the mighty commander who once terrorized Israel, is now running on foot like a fugitive. Desperate for safety, he stumbles into the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.

On the surface, Jael looked like the last person God would use. She wasn’t a warrior. She wasn’t even an Israelite. In fact, her family had a peace treaty with Sisera’s king. If anything, Sisera should have felt safe there. But Jael was also a Kenite, a distant relative of Moses.

But God had already spoken through Deborah: the honor of Sisera’s downfall would go to a woman. And here she was—an unlikely woman, in an ordinary tent, about to play an extraordinary role in God’s plan. Sisera thought he found refuge. Instead, he walked straight into the hands of the one God chose to fulfill His prophecy.

Jael’s story is living proof that God uses unlikely people. She didn’t have a sword, an army, or a reputation as a leader. She had a tent and the courage to act. And God used her to change the course of Israel’s history.

Don’t ever think God can’t use you because you’re not the most skilled, the loudest, or the obvious choice. He delights in flipping expectations and proving His power through ordinary lives. The question isn’t are you qualified? but are you willing?

Deborah’s prophecy reminds us: when God speaks, His word will come to pass. And Jael’s story reminds us: He often chooses the most unlikely person in the room to bring it about.

ASK THIS:

1. Where in my life do I doubt God could use me because I feel too ordinary?
2. Who around me might God want to use—even if they seem unlikely?
3. What “tent peg” (ordinary tool) has God placed in my hand to serve Him?
4. Am I willing to say yes when God calls, even if I feel unprepared?

DO THIS:

Identify one “ordinary tool” in your life—time, skill, relationship—and pray for God to use it in an extraordinary way this week.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, thank You for choosing unlikely people like Jael. Use me, with whatever I have, to be part of Your plan today. Amen.

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