Good morning. Allow me to begin by stating a simple fact: I am weird. Now, before you get carried away with thoughts and words like “Tell us something we don’t know!” I would like to suggest that you are weird too. It is OK, we are all weird. We read in Psalm 139:14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Is it possible, perhaps even inevitable, to suggest that when each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made that may also be weird? I believe that it is.
We’re all strange in our own way. We all have quirks, bad habits, hang-ups, and painful experiences that have left scars. We’re not quite right. We have been created in the image of God’s perfection, but we have left that perfect state far behind. Now, after sin has left its marks, we’re weird. But that is OK, God can work with weird. In fact, God seems to specialize in working with weird. Let’s have a peek at God’s Word and take note of the weird:
We find Noah building an ark. That would have been considered weird, especially since there wasn’t any water nearby.
Notice Abraham and Sarah, two old folks well beyond the childbearing years with him at 100 and Sarah over 90. She became a 90 year old pregnant lady…that’s weird.
Jacob was a liar, a cheat, a conniver, and a selfish man. God used him to be the father of those who would be the 12 tribes of Israel. He was a weird choice, although his brother Esau was really hairy, so maybe he was weird too.
One of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, was sold by his brothers into slavery. He was abused, enslaved, falsely accused, and imprisoned. God raised him up to be 2nd in command over all of Egypt, and he went on to establish his father and brothers in Egypt. That was weird.
Moses stuttered and God used him to speak for Him. God could certainly have fixed Moses’ speech, but He chose not to. That seems pretty weird.
God needed a hero to gather an army and lead them to a great military victory. He chose Gideon, who was hiding in the bottom of a wine press, scared to death. What a weird choice!
Rahab was a prostitute and God saved her, ultimately including her in the genealogies of Jesus. Jesus, perfect and sinless, the Son of God, had a prostitute among His noted relatives. Weird.
David was an adulterer and a murderer. God called him “a man after His own heart” and used to him to establish His people as a force in the land. That was weird.
Elijah became so depressed he was suicidal. God raised him up and empowered him as one of His greatest prophets. Even Elijah seemed to think that was weird.
John the Baptist ate bugs, Peter denied Christ, Paul arrested and put to death God’s people, John couldn’t stay awake to pray, Zacchaeus was a really little guy, Martha was way too worried, Timothy had an ulcer, and Lazarus was dead…for a while.
God didn’t give up on any of them. In fact, God used each of them, and many other weird people, to accomplish His will in amazing and wonderful…and yes, I am going yo say it…weird ways.
So, do you sometimes feel a little weird? Good, God can work with that. Weird is fine, as long as weird is combined with faith and obedience.
I mentioned once before that my all-time favorite tee-shirt was being worn by one of our middle school guys. It read “You laugh at me because I am different. I laugh at you because you are all the same.”
There isn’t anything wrong with being different. Depending on the translation you may be reading, there are more than 20 places in scripture where God’s people are described as being “peculiar.”
So, be weird today, but be weird for the Lord!
Vern