GOD’S CALL: YOUR VOICE
[4-minute read]
We have all read or heard of biblical accounts of people who were called by God. Seemingly overnight, their lives were turned upside down and transformed into epic biographies. Think of Noah, Moses, Joseph, Esther and the apostle Paul. They make getting a call from God the epitome of Christian living. Suddenly, their lives had purpose and a definite sense of mission that gave meaning to their mundane existence, and the drudgery they endured a grandiose justification. All of us are called; yet, not everyone embraces God’s call with open arms.
The Bible highlighted two characters - Jonah and Moses - who famously gave God the slip when they received His call. Let’s be clear that running away from something can take many forms. We can resist with excuses. We can remain silent and passive, avoiding those whom God sends to direct us, turn a deaf ear to counsel, play up a sense of helplessness, get busy and remain unavailable, escape notice, not bring it up, ignore the cognitive dissonance of thinking one way and acting another way, conceal our real motives, or act in self-sabotaging ways.
God specifically called Jonah to make a trip to “the great city of Nineveh” and deliver a warning to the people because of their godless way of life. But instead of looking up the travel itinerary to Nineveh, he booked himself on a passenger ship headed for Tarshish (Jonah 1:1-3). Nineveh and Tarshish are as far apart as Syria and Spain. Without a word, his actions spoke volumes about his interest in God’s call. Simply put, he didn’t like the call.
To be sure, Jonah was not called to travel to exotic places to expand his personal travel experience. He was called to have difficult conversations with the people in Nineveh who were very different from himself because God loved them as much as He loved Jonah. Yet he forgot that only recently, he himself had experienced the very real compassion of God from inside a big fish. “In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry.” (Jonah 2:2).
If only Jonah loved people the way God did, he would find the grace to overcome any cultural, emotional and mental hurdles to pursue a life of obedience. Sadly instead, throughout his exchange with God, he was petulant and remained angry to the end.
Then, there was Moses who was called to confront Pharoah. Unlike Jonah, Moses tried to run from God’s call by launching into a spiel to convince God that He had picked the wrong guy. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh”, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me”, “I have never been eloquent”, “I am slow of speech and tongue”, and “Please send someone else”. (Exodus 3:11, 4:1, 10, 13).
But God knew all of Moses’ shortcomings and hangups! He picked exactly who He wanted to be the voice of change and deliverance for the Israelites.
If we look closely at Moses’ waivers, what they are actually saying might be this: I want people to see that I am important; I want to have great credibility with people; I want to blow people away with my eloquence; I do not like to feel vulnerable or find myself in any socially awkward situations.
Today, you may have arrived at a point in your life where you want to take a back seat (whatever that means!) or scale back from active ministry. But God’s call is neither a promotion nor a privilege. This is because all believers must live out our God-given purpose while we are on this side of heaven.
When you understand God's love for people, you will find His voice in your life – one conversation at a time. Even if you are an introvert who finds socializing exhausting. Even if you hate confrontations. Even if you have to uproot and live abroad. Even if you feel that God’s call is less appealing than how you plan to live your life or where you plan to work. You will find the courage, wisdom and confidence to be God’s stirrer, restorer and builder where He has called you to.
Are you losing your voice where you work, where you serve in your home, your small group, and even among close friends? It is not about what you are doing but what is your God-given purpose in life that undergirds how you live and what you do.
Listen to God's heart and rediscover His call for you. Remember it is not about you, it is about God in you.
