John is a humble, uneducated man. Yet God used him to start the peace process in Mozambique. His name is not mentioned in any official documents; all he did was arrange a meeting between two of his acquaintances— Kenyan Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat and a Mozambican. But that introduction set in motion the events that led to a peace treaty after a 10-year civil war.
From that experience, Ambassador Kiplagat learned the importance of
respecting everyone. “You never dismiss people because they are not educated,
because they are white, because they are black, because they are women, because
they are old or young. Every encounter is sacred, and we need to value that
encounter,” the ambassador said. “You never know what word might be there for
you.”
The Bible confirms that this is true. Naaman was a great man in Syria
when he got the dreaded disease of leprosy. A servant girl whom he had captured
from Israel told Naaman’s wife that the prophet Elisha could heal him. Because
Naaman was willing to listen to this lowly servant girl, his life was spared
and he came to know the one true God (2 Kings 5:15).
God often speaks through those to whom few are willing to listen. To
hear God, be sure to listen to the humble.
God uses ordinary people to carry out His extraordinary plan. (RBC)
