“Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.” Luke 4:14, 16-17

As we celebrate the season of Lent, looking ahead to the incredible event of Christ’s resurrection, we can fall into thinking that it’s the huge, mountaintop experiences in life that God uses to do His best work. And when we look at things that way, we miss out on the bulk of the situations God uses to touch our lives most profoundly.

When we look at the most impactful encounters Jesus had with people, most of them seemed to take place in the most ordinary of circumstances. When Jesus stood up to read Scripture at his hometown synagogue, He did what countless other teachers had done, week after week for centuries. But it was in an ordinary moment like this that He chose to announce His identity as the Messiah publicly.

Some of the most profound moments of Jesus’ ministry were ordinary, run-of-the-mill moments that became so much more because of Him: Fishing trips, stops to get water at a well, and walks through town became opportunities for people’s lives to be changed.

And God still works in those moments today. A moment comforting a friend when she’s hurting; a hospital stay that has you interacting with hospital staff and roommates; a conversation in an elevator. My wife met a woman in the church parking lot recently that led to coffee, and a conversation that allowed her to direct someone to Celebrate Recovery in the city she was moving to. She’s now involved there and growing.

Mountaintop experiences are nice, but it’s those ordinary moments God seems to love to use most often.

As you pray today, ask God to help you see and take advantage of the opportunities He places before you in the seemingly ordinary moments of your day.