I Am Called . . . For What?

Final Part 4

While answering Edgardo’s question – how does a missionary know where to go? – a deeper one arose, which was, how does someone know they are called?    Many pastors and theologians will tell you – “You’ll know.”    But I have learned that this answer is not adequate for most people so let me share with you my story of answering the call and perhaps it will help you.  

Several years ago, I had this deep gut feeling that God wanted me to do something.   I could never get away from thinking about it no matter what I did, where I went or who I was with.   That nagging thought never left my mind.   I knew deep down that what I was feeling was not indigestion, and I didn’t need a doctor.   I knew from the core of my being that God was telling me something, and if you want the truth I really knew what He was communicating to me, but I just didn’t want to admit it - - - OUT LOUD!   You see if you admit something like that to the whole world you get different responses from those around you and most of them aren't exactly positive. 

Some of those responses might be from:

1) People who don’t know Jesus as their personal Savior and have very little understanding of spiritual things will automatically think you to be crazy saying such amazing things like “God called me to. . .”  

2) People who do know Jesus and are actively living out their faith sometimes surprisingly will respond like this: “Why Lord?   I don’t want to lose my son – daughter – husband – brother – cousin – friend - _______.”  

3) People who do know Jesus but don’t really live like it will respond like this: “That’s nice.  You are going to get a real job right?”  
4) People who have answered the call and feel quite beat up and used will respond: "Oh, I am so sorry.   I'll pray for you."
5) But there are some who will say: "Great, I will guard you in my prayers every day and anxiously wait to hear the good news about how God is using you."     (BTW: Make sure these people's contact information is safely stored in your contact list.   Just trust me on this.) 

As well, if you admit something like that out loud for all the world to hear then you know that at that point you have to really do something about it or the whole Christian world will see you for what you really are – frightened, confused, worried, and helpless.   So more often than not the one with those feelings will do just what I did.   Internalize them.   Keep them hidden.   Get a little bit angry with the world.   Avoid church and church friends or go the other way and become clingy and never absent from church.   But however you handle the feelings the problem persists.   The problem grows.   It does not go away.   For me it got to the point where I couldn't sleep at night.   I couldn't eat.   I was rather grumpy and gloomy.   But still I thought to myself that maybe I have my feelings wrong.    So you think maybe if I go to some religious authority then they will tell me that I have it all wrong and that I really do have bad case of indigestion, and if you take some antacid pills and read a Psalm or two then the feelings will go away.   And that is just what I did.   I called a friend of mine and our church’s minister of education – Keith Smyser (a great American and a heck of a baseball player) and made an appointment to take him to lunch in order to talk about some things.   And when we sat down at the BBQ restaurant and chatted a little bit, I finally found the courage to ask him outright, “How do you know if you are called to the ministry?”   Keith laughed and said, “Is that all you wanted to know.   I thought it was something like you and Debbie were having problems.”   He then said, “You are called Steve.   I have known it for a long time.   I’m glad you are finally doing something about it.”   And that was it, I suppose in that BBQ restaurant with Keith I announced it to the world.   “God has called me to do something.”  

And the thing is.   Once you have answered the call of Jesus then you get started.   You begin preparing yourself and making yourself available for opportunities and unless you absolutely can't then you never say no.    God will direct your paths.   He will open the doors.   He will make it work out right.   If you are reading this you may be thinking, "but I want more.   I want specifics."   Just hang tight.   I'll get to that.   

Over the years there have been many people who have asked me the very same question that I asked my dear friend Keith.   And here is how I almost always answer them.   “You are called.   If you have ever said, ‘Yes, Jesus I will follow you.’  If you have ever listened to a sermon, read your Bible or gone to Sunday school then you are called to do something.”     In Mark 2:14, Jesus asked Levi to ‘follow Him.’   And in every verse you read, and in every sermon you hear: He is asking you to do that as well.”    What does FOLLOWING JESUS mean?    It means living by the principles that He taught.   It means serving others.  It means giving your tithes and offerings.   It means loving those that hate you.   It means going somewhere to share what Jesus did for you with others.   It means encouraging them to also make their walk with Christ real.   It means doing the right thing even though the right thing is costly, difficult and hard.    It means relinquishing your wants and desires to Christ, and loving Him so much that His wants and desires become yours.    When you do all that then my bet is that you will start feeling more and more the best place for you to be and with whom you need to share and what you should do.   

But still some people feel they need to know even more specifically than what I just shared.   Some people feel that they need something like a billboard experience before they will serve.  (A billboard experience is something so incredible and profound that you know that it must be from God.   For instance, driving along a road and reading a passing billboard that says: "Go to Ninevah" or something like that.)    And occasionally God may provide that for you, but more often than not it is a still small voice or feeling deep inside that you ought to go here and do that.   Sometimes it is simply an open door versus a closed one that will guide you.    I don’t know how God works specifically with everyone, but I do know that He does.   I do know that He wants to use you.   I do know that if you tell Him yes, and I will follow you, then you ought to get a passport because you are going somewhere.   I don’t know, it may be just across the street.   But you are going somewhere.   God wants to use you.    And to follow or not that is your only response.   

Some of you reading this will think "Well, I'm not qualified for this or that."   And here is the response to that fear.   Get qualified.   Get prepared.  Don't just sit there.   Do something.   

I was reminded of all this in a recent sermon I listened to.   And I don't remember who it was and I am just too lazy to go and figure it out, but the preacher said something along these lines,  “Jacob was a cheater; Peter had a temper; David had an affair and arranged for the murder of her husband, and Noah got drunk.   Jonah ran from God; Peter had a temper.  Paul was ugly and a murderer as well; Gideon was insecure; Miriam was a gossiper, and Martha was a worrier. Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient; Elijah was moody; Moses stuttered; Zacchaeus was too short; Abraham was too old and Lazarus was dead.  God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called!"  

Go and do. . .