God's call on Abraham's life was unusual. He was called to follow God to an unknown destination. We learn in [Heb 11:8] that he went out not knowing where he was going. He was called to leave family and everything familiar even though he did not know the intended destination. He would have to follow God every single day in order to get to God's mysteriously unknown final destination.
It was a step of faith. Abraham obeyed God's call by belief in the call. God called him to go and he packed up and went. I can relate. Abraham obeyed even though he did not have all the details spelled out. That did not keep him from responding in faith. God's call trumped all the questions.
Can you imagine Abraham trying to explain to his family what he sensed God wanted him to do. I am sure there were raised eyebrows. I am certain well meaning loved ones tried to talk him out of such a foolish venture. Abraham heard God. The call was clear. He resolved to follow through no matter what the outcome would be. He was abandoned to the will and call of God.
Not everyone who sits in a church pew is abandoned to the will and call of God. Some have their heels dug in singing, "We shall not be moved." That is not my approach. I lived the past twenty-five years surrendered to God and His call. I confess there were some times I got it totally wrong. There were other times it did not make sense. Even a few times when people tried to talk me out of obedience by faith. They thought it foolish. God came through each time.
To live surrendered to God's call means living with no will of your own. It means following God even when you do not understand. It means doing things that do not make sense to the casual observer. When God puts a call on your life it would be foolish not to obey. Can anyone say Jonah?
The call of God can be so strong and irresistible that caution is thrown to the wind as people submit and obey. Remember this. God's call seldom leads to comfort. He leads us out of our comfort zones and pushes us to risky ventures. Remember David and Goliath [I Samuel 17] or Jonathan and his armor bearer attacking enemy troops just the two of them [I Samuel 14] or even Paul taking the gospel to hostile territories [Acts 14].
How do we know when God is calling? I heard the following in a sermon the other day. I thought it worth repeating here.
G- Glory - if you obey the call of God will He get glory from your obedience?
O - Others - what are others counseling and affirming about your perceived call?
S - Scripture - can your call be backed up with scripture?
P - Prayer - have you bathed the call in prayer and have God's peace?
E - Evangelism - if you obey God's call will it lead to other people getting saved?
L - Lifestyle - will your lifestyle be in keeping with Christian character and conduct if you obey the call?
No comments:
Post a Comment