“Many are called” (Matthew 22:14)
In the bible, God gave a clear directive to Abraham – “Leave your native country….and go to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1). He also gave a distinct order to Moses to “Go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10). So, is the call of God limited to a select few? Or….do we all at some point in our life receive a call from God, and if we do, how can we know if we hear it?
In Isaiah 6:8, the prophet experienced a call from God. However, it was not a direct call or command such as Abraham and Moses received. Isaiah wrote, “I heard the voice of God, saying; ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.” God did not direct his call to Isaiah specifically. Instead, Isaiah overheard God having a conversation with himself – The Trinity. Imagine that! Listening into a conversation that God has with Himself. ereHereeHeH
Now the question is, can that possibly happen to us? We get this idea that the call of God to do something is just for a select few – like receiving a call to preach or teach. But in truth, the call of God is open to any of us to do anything that is within His will. Now, whether you and I hear a call from God depends on the condition of our ears. And exactly what we hear depends on our spiritual attitude at the time of the call. Those chosen by God to do something special – go somewhere special – can be all of us who have our relationship with Christ in such a spiritual condition that we can overhear God asking for someone to do his bidding. We, like Isaiah can be in such a place with God that we continually hear his voice asking, “Who will go for us?”
God did not force his will on Isaiah. Isaiah was simply in the presence of God and overheard his call. He had the freedom to say no to God as much as he had the freedom to say yes. That is true for each of us. God will not come to us and force us or plead with us to do his will. When the Lord called his disciples, he did it without any pressure. He simple spoke two powerful words, “Follow Me.”
If we will allow the Holy Spirit to keep us in tune with the voice of God, and we listen closely, we too can eavesdrop on God’s conversations with himself and understand his will for our life. Perhaps it will be to make a phone call to someone who needs to be uplifted. Or maybe the call will be to take someone to lunch or deliver some food to them. Or maybe the call will be to go to our prayer closet and intercede on behalf of someone who is in great need at that very moment. We can overhear God’s call at anytime and anywhere we are. The important thing is that when we do overhear him, we immediately answer like Isaiah did, “Here I am! Send me!”
Darlene