November 2 | Moments Almanac | Improbable

Welcome to Moments Almanac for November 2nd. If you'd met Daniel Marshall in the 1700s, you probably wouldn't have picked him out as a man who would change the religious landscape of the American South. And if you'd heard him preach, you might have been even less impressed. He wasn't eloquent, he had little formal education, and apparently he stammered. One contemporary described him as a weak man, a stammerer, and no scholar. Another observed that piety, earnestness, and honesty were about all he had going for him. Well, that's quite a recommendation. Imagine putting that on your resume. Skills? Not much. Education? Limited. Public speaking? Could use some work. Strengths? Honest, earnest loves Jesus. And yet this rather ordinary man became one of the most influential Baptist pioneers in American history. And on this day, in 1784, Daniel Marshall finished his earthly journey. His story reminds us that God has never been particularly impressed with the things that impress us. Daniel Marshall was born in Connecticut in 1706. For much of his early life he was a farmer and a deacon in a congregational church. He had a family, a livelihood, and a respectable place in his community. Then he encountered the preaching of George Whitfield during the Great Awakening, and something stirred in his heart. Marshall began preaching and traveling, eventually embracing Baptist convictions. But here's something that's remarkable. He wasn't baptized by immersion until he was about forty-eight years old. He wasn't ordained until he was in his early fifties, and when he moved into Georgia in 1771 to begin the work for which he had become especially remembered, he was sixty-five years old. Sixty-five, at an age when many people might have been looking for a comfortable rocking chair, Daniel Marshall was looking for another place to preach the gospel, and Georgia was not exactly rolling out the welcome mat. During one of his early preaching visits, Marshall was arrested for preaching without approval of the colonial authorities. He was ordered not to return to Georgia as a preacher. His response echoed through the words of the apostle in Acts. Whether it be right to obey God or man, judge ye. And he kept preaching. Eventually he settled and organized a Baptist congregation in 1772 in Georgia, and that church became one of the oldest, continuously existing Baptist churches in the state. But Marshall wasn't merely interested in gathering a crowd. He was interested in making disciples. He preached, baptized believers, mentored young ministers, and organized congregations, and those congregations helped establish other congregations. The word spread. His influence reached across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. There were churches where there had been none. Preachers were raised up. Communities of believers were established. And somehow, well, the man who wasn't much of a preacher helped build a movement of churches. And let's just think about that for a moment. We live in a world that celebrates talent, charisma, influence, and platform. We admire polished speakers, brilliant thinkers, and magnetic personalities. And there's nothing wrong with talent. But talent has never been a prerequisite for faith. Daniel Marshall didn't have to become somebody else to be useful to God. He simply had to offer God what he had, his voice, his perseverance, his willingness to go, his determination to keep going when others told him to stop. And most importantly, his willingness to invest his life in people who would carry the gospel farther than he ever could. And we think about the words of Paul and how he wrote that God chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong. And I I think about Daniel Marshall. I think he would have smiled at that. Near the end of his life, his strength was fading, his memory was failing. His body was worn from years of travel and ministry, but his faith remained. His son Abraham preserved an account of his father's final hours. As he lay dying, Marshall spoke of having fought the good fight and finished the course. He encouraged his wife to continue serving the Lord, and then he recalled how much joy he had experienced in worshiping and singing and anticipating the songs of eternity. At dawn on November 2nd, 1784, Daniel Marshall died. The stammering preacher had finished his last sermon. But the work continued. Churches continued to gather, other preachers continued to preach, and the gospel continued to spread through the people whose lives he had touched. And I wonder if there's a lesson there for you and for me. Perhaps you've been waiting to become more qualified before you do what God has placed on your heart. Perhaps you've been telling yourself that you're too old, too ordinary, too late getting started. Or perhaps you've been comparing your gifts to someone else's and concluding that yours are insufficient. Daniel Marshall's life reminds us and suggests a better question. Not, am I impressive enough? But am I willing? Because the kingdom of God has never depended upon our abilities to impress people. It depends upon the power of a God who delights in working through ordinary lives, surrender to him. And sometimes the person who doesn't seem to have much going for him has everything that matters. On this November 2nd, remember Daniel Marshall. Not much of a preacher, they said, but what a life. And that's Moments Almanac for November the 2nd. I hope you'll join me tomorrow. Until then, take heart. Notice the scattered moments and share the grace.