We had an opportunity placed before us a few weeks ago that required a big decision to be made. To most, it would probably have been quite a painless (and obvious) choice. To us, it was difficult and consuming. Knowing that we had to make our decision by Tuesday end of business day, we teetered and tottered throughout most of the weekend and Monday, weighing our options, listing the pros and cons, praying, seeking wise counsel, etc. On Monday evening, I prayed expectantly for God to show up and lead us to make the choice that we should make at this point in time. Neither options were bad - Both were fabulous, but was God asking us to step out in faith, believing Him for our provision and success? Ah, could it be that this new endeavor was purposed to be an opportunity for us to put our faith and belief in Him in a greater way? As I continued praying and seeking His Word for counsel, an excitement filled me that could only have been from the Spirit of God Himself. He was calling us to step out in faith - in full belief that He would come through for us. What would we do?
My heart was drawn to the first chapter of Jeremiah. This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Jeremiah, though young in age, is called directly by God to a task that he perceived as too lofty and advanced. He feels ill-equipped, inexperienced, inadequate ... Yet God, in all His knowledge and intentional purpose, calls Jeremiah to step out in faith and believe Him to accomplish that which He has called him to.
Full belief. Trusting God to show up on our behalf.
Let's take a look at how God's call on Jeremiah unfolds: "The Word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah] saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'
'Ah, Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.'
But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 1:5-8).
If you get nothing else out of this Scripture than this, then fine - Just get this: God ordains the days of our lives. He is in control of the small details and the life-changing details. He has a plan. He knows what the absolute very best is for our lives.
I love that before God calls Jeremiah to the specific task of "prophet," He first reminds Jeremiah of his identity. God reminds Jeremiah that his identity is in Christ. That God created him, that God has always known him, and that God has always had a plan for him. "Before I formed you in the womb ... I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5, emphasis mine). He knows Jeremiah. Knows the intricacies of his soul, his thoughts, his desires, his passions, his insecurities, his capabilities. Knows Jeremiah's ability to trust Him at His Word.
This got me thinking. Would I rather be the most capable at something, or the most able to trust my God? When God calls us to something, 99.9999% of the time it will be something that is beyond our natural capabilities. When God called me to my first speaking engagement, that 100% average in my college public speaking class only mustered up so much self-confidence in my own abilities. After realizing that my natural capability was limited, I began to panic. I immediately realized how desperately I needed my God to provide the resources for success. Why? Because God's call challenges us beyond our natural capabilities. And naturally so! When He calls us to a specific task that is beyond our natural capabilities, there are a couple undeniable opportunities that accompany this call:
- His call provides us an opportunity to trust Him to come through on our behalf. To know without a shadow of a doubt, that without Him, we will fail.
- His call provides an opportunity for our God to show up ... and to show off. All for His glory and purpose.
Do you know what else I love? Often when God calls us to a specific task, we are already in the process of going down another road. Perhaps a good road. One that seems to be the best possible, most success-breeding scenario. Jeremiah 1:1 gives us the background on Jeremiah's heritage. His father, Hilkiah, was one of the priests in the territory of Benjamin. Naturally, he would be expected to follow in his father's footsteps. So, here is Jeremiah - preparing to follow his father into the priesthood, a very honorable profession. Then out of nowhere, his Heavenly Father shows up, declaring His call on young Jeremiah's life - A task very different than what Jeremiah had in mind. Now, I'll let you be the judge, but do you think that this perhaps threw a little kink in his step? Challenged his faith-walk a bit? Required him to get on his knees a little more often? Believe God a little more?
Ladies, God still does this today. What is it that Revelation 4:8 proclaims? "Holy, holy holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." He is the same yesterday, today and forever! He still calls us to specific tasks ... He still provides opportunities for us to trust Him in our day-to-day lives ... He still shows up and shows off ... And He still provides the resources we need for success!
What has God called you to do? Are you finding yourself at the point where I was a few weeks ago - At a crossroads? Is God asking you to step out in faith, believing Him to come through for you in a certain situation? Do you feel, like Jeremiah, ill-equipped, inexperienced and inadequate to accomplish a specific task you know God is calling you to? What are you going to do about it?
Believe God at His Word - THAT is what you're going to do. How I praise God that He sets us up for success, through Jesus! His Holy Spirit will lead us and teach us which way we should go (Isaiah 28:26). When we are called by God to accomplish a specific task, may we claim with unwavering belief that ...
He Alone is ...
Our Resource for Success.
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