Has God called you? Or do you sense that God is calling you? Are you confused because you do not know for sure that it is God who is calling you? These are questions that usually bombard the minds of people. Many people are confused as to whether God has called them or not. Is that the same for you? How can someone tell or know for a fact, that God has called him/her or is calling him/her to fulfill a specific purpose for Him?
A story was told of a lad who left school as soon as he could to go on the farm and eventually took over running the farm. Seasons were tough on the farm, and he knew that he would soon have to give up what he had dreamt of ever since he could remember. He sold the farm and went to work for the local hardware business. He worked there for a good many years but all the time he felt there was something else he should be doing. He hoped that this uneasy feeling would go away, but it persisted.
The more he tried to suppress the feeling, the more it persisted that God was calling him to enter the ministry. “What about my family?” he argued within himself. “I’m no scholar and I hate school,” he reasoned. It took a while, but God finally got his attention. His call was a call to the pastoral ministry. Yours may be a call to a different kind of ministry, depending on the abilities God has given you. The point is, when God calls you, you will know for sure.
When God calls, reputation, character, age, or levels of education are no restrictions. God is not interested in any of those. One only has to look through scriptures to see that Peter was a fisherman, David was a shepherd boy, Moses was a murderer, Jeremiah was a teenager, Esther was an orphan, Ruth was a widow, and Rahab was a harlot – just to name a few. God has a tendency to reach down and grab ordinary lives of people for extraordinary purposes. When God calls, He calls people out of their ordinary everyday routines. Is God calling you? Is it possible that God is trying to get your attention?
Moses was looking after sheep, like he did every other day, when he met God for the very first time. He was not looking for a change of direction in his life. He was not looking for God. He was just an ordinary shepherd. There, on an average working day, something happened. It was so strange that Moses was filled with curiosity and went to investigate. God was getting Moses’ attention.
A bush burst into flame, but it was not being turned to ash. A voice came from the bush. How would you feel if one of the bushes in your garden suddenly caught on fire and started talking to you? Would you run, or investigate it more closely? Well, that was what Moses did. When God calls us, it may not be anywhere as dramatic as a burning bush. But He can use the circumstances of our life to call us to serve Him in some way.
God often calls those that others seemingly would never look upon. Humans have a tendency to look on qualifications, experience, social status, and appearance to make their choice, but not so with God. God usually chooses whom He knows will get the job done. God still calls today. He calls you and me to work for a particular service – to serve people using our God-given abilities, and to assist even when we think we do not have the right skills to do so.
You may be wondering how do you know if God is calling you? Firstly, there is an inward call. Through His Spirit, God speaks to people He has called to serve. This inward call is described as “God’s voice heard by faith.” It is a strong urge, a sense of growing compulsion, an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work for which He is calling. That sense of urgent commission is one of the central marks of an authentic call. Those whom God has called know this call by a sense of leading, purpose, and growing commitment. Secondly, there is always an external call. God usually uses others to “call out the called” to perform that specific task.
Thirdly, when God calls, He has a very definite purpose in mind. That day in the wilderness, God was not interested in just a friendly chat with Moses. Moses may not have known a great deal about God since he was brought up in an Egyptian household so God introduced himself: “I am the God who was worshipped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
And then God revealed something of the pain in his heart as He told Moses how his people were being cruelly treated. He had heard their cries for help. Now He was sending Moses to lead the people out of Egypt to a new home. When God calls, He has something very definite in mind.
Fourthly, when God calls, there is a tendency to object and find excuses. When Moses heard what God wanted him to do, he asked, “What? Who? Me?” He said, “people would not believe me. Who would believe a murderer who hears voices from burning bushes? Who am I that I should go and confront the mighty King of Egypt? He would not listen to me.” He continued, “God, I am a poor speaker, I am slow, and I can never think of what to say.” Moses tried all the excuses he could think of. In fact, he would not have regarded them as excuses but legitimate reasons, but God had an answer for them all.
Fifthly, when God calls, He reassures. Moses was given assurance that God would help him to speak, find the right words and what to do along the way. God would provide everything that Moses needed, even an assistant to help him. God never promised that this would be an easy assignment, however, He promised to always be present to help.
Finally, when God calls you, He gives you peace. You feel a sense of peace in your heart. God will guide you every step of the way. It will often be into the unknown and you will have to do things that require courage and faith on your part.
When God calls you, never be afraid of anyone. No one can annul or abort God’s call on your life. The call is the work of God. God has very good reasons for placing that challenge on you. When He called Moses, He knew that Moses would be able to handle the job and be the greatest leader of his people with His help. When God calls you, He already knows that you can handle the challenge with His help. When God calls, He also promises, “That He will be with you to the end, until His task is accomplished.”
Remember: God does not call those who are equipped. He equips those whom He has called. He does not choose people because of their ability, but because of their availability.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 3. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
