Why Being Unqualified Might Be Exactly What God Is Looking For

Who Would You Choose?

We all have ideas about who God should use, don't we? If you were building a team to change the world, who would you choose? You'd probably pick the talented, people with skills and abilities that stand out. You'd choose the educated, those with degrees and credentials. You'd select the influential, people with platforms and connections. The ones who seem "ready" for big assignments. The ones who have their lives together. The ones with impressive resumes and track records of success.

That's how we think. That's how the world operates. But God has different ideas. God has a completely different hiring process. His qualifications don't match ours at all.

Look at who God chose throughout Scripture. He chose Moses, a murderer with a speech impediment who was hiding in the desert. He chose David, the youngest son that nobody took seriously. He chose Gideon, a man hiding in a winepress, terrified of his enemies. He chose fishermen who smelled like yesterday's catch. He chose tax collectors who everyone hated. He chose outcasts, nobodies, rejects.

Today, we're continuing our Christmas series called "Messengers," and we're going to meet perhaps the most unlikely choice God ever made. A teenage girl from a nowhere town who had nothing going for her by the world's standards. And God chose her to carry the Savior of the world.

The Most Unlikely Choice

Luke 1:26-28 introduces this moment:

"In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, 'Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!'"

Notice three things about this announcement: the place, the person, and the greeting.

The Place: Nazareth

This was a backwater town. A nowhere place. So insignificant that later in John's Gospel, when Philip tells Nathanael that the Messiah is from Nazareth, Nathanael responds, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" That's how people thought about this town. It was the kind of place you'd drive through without stopping.

And this is where God starts His greatest work. Not Jerusalem, the religious center. Not Rome, the political center. Not Athens, the cultural center. But Nazareth. A backwater town that nobody respected.

The Person: Mary

A teenage girl from this nowhere town. Probably around 13 or 14 years old, the typical age for betrothal in that culture. She had no education, no wealth, no power, no influence. She was engaged to a carpenter, a tradesman, not a nobleman. She was, by every measure the world values, a nobody.

The Greeting: Favored Woman

The angel calls her "highly favored." But notice that Mary is blessed not because of what she's done, but because of what God has chosen to do through her. She didn't earn this. She didn't qualify for it. She didn't work her way up to it. This was pure grace. Unmerited favor.

Confusion and Favor

Watch Mary's response in Luke 1:29-30:

"Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 'Don't be afraid, Mary,' the angel told her, 'for you have found favor with God!'"

Mary was filled with fear. Not panic, but godly fear, the proper response to encountering the divine. But then the angel speaks words that must have been equally confusing: "You have found favor with God."

Notice the language. She didn't earn favor, she found it. Like finding treasure you weren't looking for. Like stumbling onto something precious you didn't know was there. This is the nature of grace. It's not about our resume, our qualifications, or our abilities. It's about God's choice.

What made Mary favorable to God? Not her accomplishments. Not her pedigree. But her humility and her willingness to serve the Kingdom.

The Son Who Would Save

Then Gabriel delivers the message in Luke 1:31-33:

"You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"

This is the fulfillment of thousands of years of waiting, thousands of years of promises, thousands of years of expectation, all culminating in this moment, in this girl, in this nowhere town.

This son will be called the Son of the Most High. Isaiah prophesied about Him: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders." This child will sit on David's throne. His kingdom will never end. This is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The virgin birth is a distinctive Christian doctrine. This was God becoming flesh. Conceived by the Holy Spirit. Fully God and fully man.

How are you seeking the Lord and His purpose for your life?

 Are you making yourself available to God? Or are you too busy with your own plans, your own agenda, your own ambitions? Mary's favor came from her posture of humility.

Wonder, Not Doubt

Now watch Mary's response in Luke 1:34:

"Mary asked the angel, 'But how can this happen? I am a virgin.'"

This is a critical moment. This is not a doubtful question. Compare Mary's question to Zechariah's question earlier. When the angel told Zechariah that Elizabeth would have a son, Zechariah asked, "How can I be sure of this?" Zechariah doubted, he wanted proof. Mary wondered, she wanted an explanation.

Mary isn't saying, "I don't believe you." She's saying, "I don't understand the mechanics of how this works." There's a huge difference. She's not doubting God's power, she's asking about God's process.

The Power of the Most High

The angel explains in Luke 1:35:

"The angel replied, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.'"

The Holy Spirit will come upon Mary. Not through sexual union, but through divine creative power. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation. The same power that spoke the universe into existence. That same power is now going to create life in Mary's womb.

Then the angel gives Mary a sign in Luke 1:36-37:

"What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail."

If you need confirmation, the angel says, go visit Elizabeth. God is already doing the impossible. And if He can do that, He can certainly do this. When God speaks, things happen. When God promises, He delivers.

The Response That Changed Everything

Mary speaks words that would change all of history in Luke 1:38:

"Mary responded, 'I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true.' And then the angel left her."

Mary says, "I am the Lord's servant." Not "I am the Lord's superstar." Not "Look what God chose me for." But servant. Complete surrender to God's will. Total availability for His purposes.

Think about what Mary was saying yes to. She was saying yes to being pregnant out of wedlock in a culture that could stone her for it. She was saying yes to shame, scandal, and gossip. She was saying yes to Joseph potentially divorcing her. She was saying yes to her family being disgraced. She was saying yes to a lifetime of people questioning her son's legitimacy.

Mary didn't know all of that yet. But she knew saying yes to God would cost her. And she said yes anyway. This is faith in action.

Mary didn't understand how this would work, but she was willing to learn and serve.

She asked questions. She didn't pretend to have all the answers. She was honest about her confusion. But when the angel explained, she trusted God's answer even though it didn't make complete sense to her.

Faith doesn't mean having all the answers. It means trusting the One who does. Mary said yes before she fully understood how. That's what God is looking for in us. Not people who have it all figured out, but people who will trust Him when we don't.

Mary's Song of Praise

After Mary visits Elizabeth and Elizabeth confirms what the angel said, Mary breaks into song in Luke 1:46-47:

"Mary responded, 'Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!'"

What follows is called the Magnificat. This is an outburst of praise using Old Testament language. Mary's focus is on God's character and His pattern of lifting up the humble.

Luke 1:48-49 continues:

"For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me."

Mary recognizes her "humble state." She's not pretending to be important. She knows she's a peasant girl from nowhere. But God has chosen her anyway.

Then Mary describes God's pattern in Luke 1:51-53:

"His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands."

The Magnificat announces a complete reversal of values. God scatters the proud. God brings down the mighty. God lifts up the lowly. This is the upside down kingdom of God.

The Question

You are ordinary. And that's exactly what qualifies you. God specializes in using ordinary people. Mary proves it. A teenage girl from nowhere became the mother of the Savior of the world. Not because she was impressive. Not because she was talented. But because she was humble and available.

The question isn't: Am I qualified? The question is: Am I available?

The question isn't: Am I good enough? The question is: Am I humble enough?

Maybe you've been sitting back, thinking God could never use you. You're too ordinary. Too broken. Too unimpressive. Too unqualified. But that's exactly who God uses. That's exactly who He's looking for.

Maybe God is asking you to do something that seems impossible. Maybe He's calling you to a ministry that doesn't make sense. Maybe He's prompting you to have a conversation you're afraid to have. Maybe He's nudging you to take a step of faith that feels overwhelming.

What's your response going to be? Are you going to say, "I'm not qualified for that"? Or are you going to say what Mary said: "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled"?

God doesn't need your qualifications. He needs your availability. He doesn't need your resume. He needs your surrender. He doesn't need your impressiveness. He needs your humility.

Mary was just a girl from Nazareth. But she said yes to God. And because she did, the world was forever changed. What might God do through you if you said yes?

Small Group Questions

ICE BREAKER QUESTIONS

1. If you were assembling a team to change the world, what qualities would you look for in your team members? How do your criteria compare to how God seems to choose people in Scripture?

2. Tell about a time when someone believed in you or chose you for something when you felt completely unqualified. How did that experience affect you?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary in Nazareth, a town so insignificant that people asked, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" (John 1:46). Why do you think God consistently chooses to work in and through "nowhere places" and "nobody people"? What does this reveal about His values versus the world's values?

2. Mary was called "favored" or "highly favored" by the angel (Luke 1:28), but the sermon emphasized that she didn't earn this- she found favor. What's the difference between earning favor and finding favor? How does understanding this difference affect how we view our relationship with God?

3. The sermon stated: "Mary was favored not because she was impressive, but because she was humble." What does true humility look like in practical terms? How do we pursue humility without becoming self-focused or falsely modest?

4. When Mary asked "How can this happen?" it was wonder, not doubt; unlike Zechariah's "How can I be sure?" Why is the difference between wondering and doubting significant? How can we ask honest questions without crossing into unbelief?

5. Mary's response was simply: "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true" (Luke 1:38). She said yes, knowing it would cost her reputation, possibly her marriage, and subject her to shame and scandal. What makes this kind of radical surrender so difficult for us? What are you most afraid of losing if you fully surrender to God?

6. The sermon asked: "What are you learning from God and others? Are you willing to not have all the answers?" Mary trusted God's answer even though she didn't fully understand it. In what areas of your life is God asking you to trust Him without complete understanding? What helps you move forward in faith when you don't have all the answers?

7. Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) describes God's pattern: scattering the proud, bringing down the mighty, lifting up the humble, filling the hungry, and sending the rich away empty. This has been called "the most revolutionary document in the world." How does this "upside-down kingdom" challenge your own values and ambitions? Are there areas where you're pursuing worldly success rather than kingdom humility?

8. The sermon's main point is: "God chooses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes." The question isn't "Am I qualified?" but "Am I available?" What does availability to God look like in your current season of life? What's preventing you from being fully available?

9. Paul wrote that "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise... so that no one may boast before him" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). How have you seen God work powerfully through your weaknesses or inadequacies in ways that made it obvious He was the source? How might your "ordinariness" actually qualify you for God's extraordinary purposes?