“Not my will but yours…” (Matthew 26:39)
Do you know you are called by God, Creator of the Universe, to make a difference in this world?
Has He told you a specific Call?
In my case, I know my role but not my Calling. I am a Watchman. Like Nehemiah, I am to stand on the wall, look out for any danger, and pray.
I don’t know when, how, or even if an attack will come, but I am to “be ready”: to look and to pray.
Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to wait for action. You may be waiting for some specific thing to do. That specific Call may come, but the most important step toward it is simply to surrender.
Surrender to the Call unconditionally. Surrender even to the possibility that a specific Call may not come.
In this “Me” climate of society, we are programmed to receive attention, to be important; we may feel overlooked or unimportant without a specific, huge responsibility being given to us. But huge responsibility is born out of real pain, character development and isolation. There is nothing romantic in being called to serve. It is a long, tough, sometimes lonely road that only some have the strength of character and endurance to face.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, on that night, before he was arrested he prayed first, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me”. Later, he released, surrendered and said, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” to his Father.
We do not know exactly when Jesus knew the Call to crucifixion. We know he asked for that cup to pass. But in the end, he surrendered his will to the Father’s. And all humanity was given the opportunity, through that surrender, to be saved.
You may be called to something specific. Or you may have to hunt for your purpose as I did, and it may be general. But how will you ever know a specific Call, unless you seek your role – the identity and purpose of your personality + God’s gifting in you – and grow in that first?
You may be like Samuel, whose mother bore him to give him back to God for full service. You may be like Anna, who waited a lifetime until Jesus was born, and she was given to prophecy. Or you may be like countless of us across the generations who are called to live our lives as role models to a dying world.
The Call may be huge, or it may seem tiny. But in surrendering to God’s Call, seeking out your identity and purpose suitable to who He has created you to be, you will be ready to serve.
That’s a Calling in itself, and a first step to receiving a specific job or role in His kingdom.
Are you ready to be who God created you to be?
Sometimes, in myself, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41b) and my role is simply to allow Him to perfect my unconditional surrender.
Go with God this week; bless Him, bless others and receive His blessing.
This particular post is crying out for dialogue. Through the website, post your questions or comments so that we who share can learn from one another, how to seek out the role that is perfect for who God has designed us to be. It took me three years of searching simply to discover my identity in Christ as a Watchman. I’ll answer your queries about how I did that and look forward to hearing from you.
God bless.