“I think it would be well, and proper, and obedient, and pure, to grasp your one necessity and not let it go, to dangle from it limp wherever it takes you.” Annie Dillard
You probably heard of Jonah - remember - the guy that was called to go to a city, who hid in the belly of a boat in rebellion against that call and was tossed overboard, got swallowed into the belly of a big fish, then spat out into the belly of the city he really did not want to go to, BUT that's not the whole story. Is it?
You probably heard of Moses - the guy called to lead a people and could not grasp why he was being called to lead in the wake of a glaring communication weakness or ineptitude and was assigned Aaron to fill in that gap in the wake of his concern, BUT that's not the whole story. Is it?
You probably heard of Sarah - the old woman who gets me to laughing at everry mention of her story, because when she heard the call of God and what she was being called to do she just started laughing - and who wouldn't laugh at the absolute absurdity of it all, BUT that's not the whole story. Is it?
You probably heard of Jesus - {who hasn't?} - who got a call from God and a call from the devil, and flatly refused one and pleaded for the other to be taken from him, BUT that's not the whole story. Is it? {Who knows?}
Biblical stories are peppered with "callings" and every mode and mood of responses.
And isn't it interesting what Oswald Chambers said, “God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, ". . . who will go for Us?" The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude.”
Now isn't that interesting - if it turns out not to be so much about calling, rather far more about hearing? Hmm? Interesting! Isn't it?
Protective
"Isn't it amazing what a boy with a slingshot, a few pebbles, a good brain, and an unconquerable will can do? This is the question a missionary posed to our Sunday School class years later. That night, however, on that box, mommy's eyes and teeth flashed under the starlight and I felt her breath as this story bounced and swirled from her like an expertly tossed yoyo, and this time, David's triumph over Goliath informed me in a very different way." What did the people see?
[ ILICET - A Time To Begin Again ]