Who is God? Lord of the Lightweights, Nominator of Nobodies

Sarah was in debt, but financial hardship bowed its knee to an even bigger giant. Before reaching her 30th birthday, Sarah’s life had taken a heartbreaking turn. “Widow,” a title she never wanted, stared her in the face along with her three young children who had lost their father. Grieving but sober-minded, Sarah marched forward with undaunted courage and no money left after burying her husband. If Sarah ever dreamed of being “someone,” those thoughts quickly became tossed aside to focus on survival. Her previous job experiences amounted to a lowly jailhouse cook and maid. She provided as well as she could for herself, her son, and two daughters. Sarah’s hard work was never labeled astounding or extraordinary by her neighbors. They were all, too, trudging through daily struggles. Sarah heard rumblings of recent news and happenings – wars, acts of Congress, kings crowned, treaties signed, poets honored, musicals performed, new inventions revealed.

Sarah labored with diligence to make the best of her circumstances. About a year after losing her husband, a man she’d known as a kid came for a visit. He, too, was in a similar situation. His beloved wife tragically succumbed to illness, leaving him with a soon-to-be teenage son and daughter. The marriage proposal lacked eloquence and romance. Still, Sarah’s childhood friend promised to pay her outstanding debt if she’d say yes.

The newly married couple introduced their children, surely hoping all would get along. Sarah’s children, 12, 8, and 5, packed into a small (and dingy) house with their step-sister, age 12, and step-brother, age 10. Crowded, yet in a completely ordinary fashion, Sarah proceeded to do what she considered normal – cooking, cleaning, and fixing up their rather shabby dwelling. Routine and unexciting, this combined family worked together on the basics of life…

Legends vs. Lightweights

Ralph Waldo Emerson poetically asserted, “…all history resolves itself very easily into the biography of a few stout and earnest persons.” True. Patriots pour eternal thanks on our fearless Founding Father, George Washington.  “Mother Theresa” was (and still is) voiced among kings, queens, presidents, and potentates. You’d have to travel into remote parts of the world to find someone who has never heard the name Billy Graham. Elon Musk currently has 200+ million followers on X. No doubt history has been shaped by a list of exceptional men and women of “stout and earnest” character. Paging through the Bible, you will, more than once, come across “King David” or “Moses.” God indeed calls forth select men and women to rise above the masses to accomplish mighty works as all creation watches.

One afternoon, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Earlier in the day, I posted another article on my blog and shared it on my Facebook page. I had even taken a leap of faith and thrown it into the abyss of X/Twitter. I sipped my coffee and chuckled to myself as I envisioned that, by some miracle, Elon Musk stumbled across one of my humble articles and, finding it absolutely riveting, shared it on his account. I imagined what it would feel like to log onto my piddly site and see hundreds of thousands of visitors navigating to my blog to read all my posts! I took another gulp of coffee and checked X.

Zero.

I pulled up my Facebook page. Yes…1! My best friend, who has supported me from day one on my writing adventure, noted a positive comment and a thumbs up! I smiled. Two days later, I checked again. Zero for X and…YAY…TWO thumbs up on Facebook! Watch out, J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien, here I come!

Ever feel like a lightweight among legions of legends? I told God years ago if anything ever came of my writings, it would have to be all His doings. You see, for someone like me to make it in the writing business, it’s as difficult as walking into an area the size of Texas and picking up the correct pebble. Only The Creator of the Ends of the Earth can accomplish such a feat. Grateful for my two “likes,” I did wonder if I, a complete nobody, could really be nominated by The Lord to use what I write for His glory. As I wrestled with the notion, I finally settled the following in my heart:  it doesn’t matter. I will write because I love to write. I’ll strive to follow the leading of His Holy Spirit in all I do. The rest is in God’s hands.

Temple Treasure

Still, we lightweights can’t seem to help being enamored with the notable. One morning, I spent time pondering the “greats” of the Bible – Isaiah, Elijah, Esther, and Mary. They changed the world. But then I sensed Holy Spirit draw my attention to a woman mentioned only once in the New Testament:

Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four [or she had been a widow for eighty-four years]. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 (NLT)

According to Bible scholars, girls living in the 1st century BC in Israel were married between the ages of 13 and 15. Assuming Anna married at 15 and died at 84, the first interpretation is that she would have spent about 62 years praying in the Temple. Another scenario presents she died most likely over 100 years old and spent 84 years (if she moved soon after her husband passed) serving and worshiping the Lord!

No followers, no novels, no fame, no travels.

Quiet, hidden, faithful, driven.

Is Luke correct? Did she not only live at the Temple but “never left?” Did she have her own room? Who brought her food? What did she do all day long for so long? Was she mostly alone, or did she interact with others? Although to the world, she appeared trivial, her crucial role proved incredibly significant. Her prayers (I firmly believe God works with humans through our intercessions to accomplish His will) clearly held back the no-holds-barred efforts of all hell to stop the birth of Jesus. Did God appoint others to pray about the coming Messiah? Yes, He did (Luke 2:25-32), but Anna’s persistence and longsuffering, I believe, released the power needed to thwart the devil’s plans. Evil tried. Remember Herod’s decree to kill all baby boys? (Matthew 2:16)

Anna isn’t attributed to any books or poems. If she scribed anything at all on parchment, it didn’t survive.  We have no record of her having dozens of disciples. Anna never traveled the world or hobnobbed with nobility. She probably wasn’t considered important to the priests shuffling around the sanctuary doing their sacred work, yet God hid away this gem of a woman to intercede for the coming of Christ. For decades, Anna faithfully poured out praise and intercession to God…and changed the world.

The Forgotten and the Famous

God calls to His service:

The Prince and the Pauper

The Unrefined and the Proper

…God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.  God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. ~1 Corinthians 1:27-28 (NLT)

I’m certain Heaven’s “wall of champions” is etched with names of people utterly unknown to ancient or modern history. Club Obscurity has a membership list that stretches to Mars and back, yet, if you find yourself here with billions of others, don’t fret and wear yourself out trying to join Club Obvious. God may have you exactly where He needs you!

Greatness from Gentleness

Now, back to unassuming Sarah. Her simple life continued with caring for her new husband and children. From Sarah’s past trauma of grief and financial hardship, she could have been bitter or devoid of emotion. Surprisingly, she stayed gentle and kind with a desire to uplift and encourage others. Her heart was especially tender towards her remarkably bright and inquisitive 10-year-old new stepson. She could tell he immensely missed his mom, so Sarah gave him a continual supply of love, comfort, and support. The young boy relished and thrived on the care of his new stepmother. Had Sarah been indifferent and callous, history books may have never penned his name.

I think God smiled. He wasn’t the author of untimely death or poverty, but He turned what the devil meant for destruction into something good through a nobody named Sarah Lincoln.

Her witty stepson, the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, later accredited his success to “my angel mother.”

If you liked this article, please share: