Surrender to God and to God’s assignments for your life
There are a lot of ways people might respond to God’s call. Some resist at first and then repent. Some are overwhelmed in God’s presence and immediately surrender to God’s will and call on their lives. Some are just going about their daily chores when God touches them and reveals a new direction for their lives. And God often sends another of his servants as a spokesperson to reveal or confirm their assignment.
As I write today, I am rereading passages from Jonah, Isaiah, Psalms, and 2 Timothy. The passages are not necessarily connected; but each tells of an incident when God called Jonah, Isaiah, David, and Timothy. And while God revealed himself and his call differently, each person surrendered to God and to God’s assignments for their lives.
Isaiah, David, and Timothy were young when they were called to their unique roles and responsibilities. As best as I can find, Jonah was probably older. He was already a prophet, though a belligerent one, when God called him to go to Nineveh. Not only from these passages but also from others, we know that God calls both the young and the not so young to come to him and to be used by him for the sake of his kingdom.
As I read the stories of these four who were called, it strikes me that once God calls us to follow him, he continues to call us and use us all of the days of our lives. However, sometimes as we get older, I think we begin to consider that we have or will soon finish our work and hand it over to someone else. That may be appropriate, natural, and even ordained by God. But that doesn’t mean God is finished using us at retirement or at the end of a particular assignment.
I suspect, if we are honest and if we are paying attention, we will discover that God calls us to some assignment every day. And sometimes he might give us more than one assignment in a day.
What might it look like if we approached each day anticipating or seeking God and asking him what he desires of us today? Realizing that God might have an assignment for you today may or may not have anything to do with your career choice even if you are one who has been called into pastoral assignments like preaching or missionary work. God desires to use all of his sons and daughters, whatever their age, to show his kindness and love to another every day.
Maybe today the call will be to pray for someone, for some situation, for a group of people, for a leader, or even for a particular country. Maybe today the call will be to speak a word of encouragement to someone you know or even to a stranger. Maybe the call today will be to volunteer to read to someone, to mentor another, or to visit someone who is sick. Whatever God calls us to do today, may we humbly accept his assignment.
Father, thank you for calling us to yourself. Thank you for sending Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. Thank you for creating us in your image and calling us into your glorious family. Forgive us when we fail to seek your direction and for the many times you have called us to even a simple act of love, and we ignored you. Today, we bow before you and ask that you speak to us. Show us where you want us to serve today. In Jesus name, Amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Isaiah 6:5-8; Jonah 1:2-3; Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 78:70-72; 2 Timothy 1:9-14 ESV
Photo by Luis Quintero: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photography-of-people-raising-hands-2014775/
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