When God Calls Your Name

Accepting the Call

The Bible provides ample information on the calling of people to use their gifts for God’s work. As examples from the bible show, there are steps which take place every time someone is called by God. Jeremiah, Moses, Gideon, Isaiah and David were all called and all followed different paths to submission to God’s will for them. However, they all dealt with many of the same issues that Christians today deal with when considering their calling: hearing and confirming the word of the Lord, temptation to make excuses to not follow and identifying a time of spiritual calling and maturation of spiritual gifts.

First it is important to hear the voice of God when considering a calling. It is not clear exactly how the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. This could have been a vision or other supernatural means, but he knew it as the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord came to Moses in a burning bush. Gideon was visited by the Lord Jesus himself as He sat beneath an oak tree. Isaiah had a vision of the Lord, where he was actually within the throne room of God. David was different from the others in that the word of the Lord came to him through Samuel, human means rather than supernatural means. In any case, there is not consistency as to how the word of the Lord comes. It can be supernatural or otherwise. For this reason it is important to listen in all places for the voice of God.

It is easy to make excuses in attempt to deny God’s will. Jeremiah used the excuse of youthfulness, not to accept the calling. Moses used his language barrier with his native people as an excuse not to follow, however this was accommodated by God through Aaron. Gideon also used youthfulness as an excuse. Isaiah did not have an excuse, however he did question his ability to be in the presence of God due to sin, assumedly because he did not find himself worthy of the calling which he was about to receive. David himself did not provide an excuse, however Jesse, his father did not even consider him as being the chosen of God and left him in the fields with the sheep. In all cases, the reasons were not acceptable to God and He either made accommodation or provided comfort for those which were called in order for them to perform His will. Christians have the Holy Spirit as a helper to guide and comfort in times of uneasiness, when the will of God could easily be denied.

Upon accepting God’s will, all the characters acknowledge their spiritual calling and their gifts are matured. Jeremiah was called before birth, but only received maturity upon accepting the calling. It is not specific if the others were called before birth. Moses’ gift was matured with his submission to the will of God. At that time he received the ability to perform miracles of the power of God. Gideon’s gift was his faith which had been established based on his visit from the Lord. He tested the Lord and the Lord complied by performing a miracle to show that He was God. From then on, Gideon performed the actions which he was called to do, even if it was done hesitantly. Isaiah’s experience was quite different in that he received the word of the Lord with his own eyes from within the throne room of God. Like Jeremiah, his gift was matured and God began to use him as soon as he made a decision to accept the calling. David is an exception in the story as he does not play a critical role in his own calling. His calling is confirmed by the actions of Samuel, Jesse and Saul. The maturation of his gifts comes much later than his calling. It is important to be patient as the Lord will use all in His time.

We are promised that God’s will, will be done. Regardless of the decisions made to follow or not, God’s plan is perfect and cannot be thwarted. Many are called, but only some will accept their gift. Like these characters, all could be used for God’s glory and His purpose by listening for the word of God, accepting His calling and being patient in waiting for fulfillment of God’s holy plan.