Answering
The Call
By Matt Leasher
Many of God’s
children have the
misconception that
being “called by
God” means that they
are to join the
seminary and become
a minister or a
missionary after a
beam of heavenly
light has burst into
their room and told
them to do so with a
thunderous voice,
however, the truth
of the matter is
that when God calls
on us it is usually
in a still small
voice and unto the
common man – like
you and me.
We read in 1 Kings
19:11-13 that God
called upon Elijah,
the humble prophet,
in a
“still small voice”
when Elijah was
hiding in a cave,
afraid, and running
from further service
to the Lord.
Elijah had
already done great
things in the Lord’s
name at this point.
He had called down
the fire of God from
heaven to defeat the
prophets of Baal on
Mount Carmel, (1
Kings 18:20-40), he
had confronted King
Ahab to inform him
that the drought God
had brought on the
land would end, (1
Kings 18:1-19) and
prior to that he had
restored life to the
widow’s son, (1
Kings 17:17-24). He
faithfully did all
of these miraculous
things in the name
of the Lord God of
Israel.
But when
Jezebel, the evil
wife of King Ahab,
sought to kill him,
he then ran and hid
in a cave. What I
want to point out
here is that God
called upon Elijah
with a still small
voice even though
Elijah became weak
and afraid. Elijah
tuned out the world
around him by
finding a cave to
hide in and it was
there that God
revealed Himself
with a still small
voice.
Elijah
already knew God and
knew Him well when
God gently called
upon him to continue
His work.
This is a
lesson for us as
well, in that being
a believer is a
prerequisite to
answering the call
of God and He will
speak to us in His
still small voice if
we shut off the
world around us.
We live in an age
and culture where
there are always
“better things to
do” than spend
quiet time alone
with the Lord.
Anytime there is
“free time” it
is usually spent on
self-entertainment.
This age of
technology has
created a cyber
world of self
amusement so that
when the day’s work
is done then we are
immediately engulfed
in our digital
devices whether it
be TV, the computer,
or our cell phones
which have now
become mini digital
do-it-alls.
The younger
generation of today
find themselves
walking into walls
because their eyes
are constantly glued
to their cell
phones. They have
become slaves to the
digital world.
They cannot
hear that still
small voice of the
Lord because their
minds are always too
preoccupied with the
cyber world.
Back in the
19th
century, (which was
only 112 years ago),
when the day’s work
was done the only
evening leisure was
reading by
candlelight. In a
Godly sense, these
were good days but
in a humanistic
sense, the
technological
advancements of
today’s society are
better days. Society
sees itself
progressing because
of technology but
I’ll bet from God’s
viewpoint of wisdom,
He sees our world
setting itself up
for self-destruction
as a result of
technology and most
disheartening to Him
has to be the lack
of attention of His
calling via the Holy
Spirit.
The problem isn’t
just a result of
technological toys.
The problem is the
same old problem it
has always been –
man’s heart. In this
Age of Grace that we
are living in the
Holy Spirit is at
work drawing souls
to Christ but the
physical means that
His work is
accomplished is
through human
vessels.
The human
vessels that are
willing to
do this work are
those that
answer the call
of the Lord.
God can use
anyone that is
willing. God is not
looking for people
that are qualified.
He is looking
for people that are
available.
“For the eyes of the
LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole
earth, to show
Himself strong on
behalf of those
whose heart is loyal
to Him.
(2 Chronicles
16:9a)
God isn’t looking
for robots either.
He is looking for
loyal hearts
that love Him and
that share in His
desire to reach the
lost and bring them
back to Him.
Jesus said:
“The harvest truly
is plentiful, but
the laborers are
few. Therefore pray
the Lord of the
harvest to send out
laborers into His
harvest.” (Matthew
9:37-38)
It is the indwelling
Holy Spirit that
plants the will of
God into our agenda.
God speaks to us
through our
conscience. If our
communion with God
is achieved through
the invisible eye of
faith, then His
communion with us is
through His soft
gentle voice into
our conscience. The
question is are we
listening? When King
David was near the
end of his life and
his son Solomon was
about to replace his
throne, David warned
Solomon about
listening to the
call of God.
“As for you, my son
Solomon, know the
God of your father,
and serve Him with a
loyal heart and with
a willing mind; for
the LORD searches
all hearts and
understands all the
intent of the
thoughts.”
(1 Chronicles
28:9a)
This is a sobering
statement for us
all. God doesn’t
just see our works,
He even searches our
hearts and knows and
understands the
intentions of our
very thoughts!
Romans 2:15 tells us
that our own
conscience bears
witness to the Godly
law of right and
wrong.
So when we
are listening to our
inner voice we
should be careful to
discern what voice
it is we are
following.
Even though
God speaks to us in
a still small voice
in our conscience
there is another
voice that whispers
in our ears and that
is the voice of
temptation from the
father of lies –
Satan.
How do we
know whose voice it
is we are hearing?
For the voice
to be from God it
should adhere and
line up with
Scripture. It should
uphold the Word of
God and be to His
glory and purpose.
We can only discern
this through
diligent study of
His Word. There are
many cults and false
religions out there
that claim they are
following the will
of God but they are
listening to the
wrong voice. They
have neglected the
full counsel of
God and have chosen
just one aspect of
the Word to branch
off into their own
agenda. This is not
God’s will. We need
to know
ALL of God’s
Word to be able to
answer the call
diligently.
“All Scripture is
given by inspiration
of God, and is
profitable for
doctrine, for
reproof, for
correction, for
instruction in
righteousness, that
the man of God may
be complete,
thoroughly equipped
for every good
work.” (2 Timothy
3:16)
There are many of
those that do study
the Word of God with
faith and diligence
and yet do nothing
with it!
That is like
going to medical
school and never
becoming a doctor.
The
indwelling of the
Holy Spirit instills
our motivation to
serve the Lord and
the Bible is our
manual for doing so.
God has made the
task of serving Him
and doing His will
an available
apprenticeship for
anyone willing to do
so, especially here
in America where
Bibles are in great
abundance.
A Bible to
the workman of God
is like a hammer to
a carpenter.
Anyone can be
employed by God and
there is no resume
or references
needed, only the
prerequisite of
belief.
If we look at almost
all of the
patriarchs of the
Bible they were all
ordinary men that
went on to do great
things for God with
great faith.
Chapter 11 of
the book of Hebrews
is full of common
men chosen by God to
do tremendous work
for Him. They are
commonly known as “
the heroes of the
faith”!
Aside from
our Lord Jesus
Christ these men are
my personal heroes.
Just consider the
faith that these
people had to
possess to do the
will of the Lord.
All of the
patriarchs listed in
Hebrews chapter 11
are from the Old
Testament, before
Jesus and the cross,
so they had to look
ahead in
faith towards the
coming redeemer
where the apostles
and the New
Testament disciples
saw Him and had the
full revelation of
Jesus Christ the
redeemer, (as do
we)!
We are
required to trust in
what has already
been accomplished
and is recorded, but
they had to trust in
what still had not
yet come to pass.
Something important
to note about the
accounts given of
all of the people in
Hebrews chapter 11
is that they are
acknowledged by
their
faith and
there is no mention
of their sinful
shortcomings even
though they all had
them. If you go back
into the Old
Testament and
examine each of
their accounts you
will see that their
sins are recorded
with their deeds.
For instance Noah
got drunk (Genesis
9:21), Abraham lied
(Genesis 12:11-20 &
in Genesis 20:2),
Sarah also lied
(Genesis 18:15),
Isaac lied (Genesis
26:7), Jacob lied
and connived
(Genesis 27:19),
Moses was a murderer
(Exodus 2:12), Rahab
was a prostitute
(Joshua 6:25), David
was an adulterer (2
Samuel 11), etc.
We see all of
these shortcomings
listed with these
saints in the Old
Testament because it
is
before the
cross, but when
these people are
listed in Hebrews,
which was written
after the cross,
their sins are
remembered no more.
“This is the
covenant that I will
make with them after
those days, says the
LORD: I will put My
laws into their
hearts, and in their
minds I will write
them,” then He adds,
“Their sins and
their lawless deeds
I will remember no
more.” (Hebrews
10:16-17)
Hebrews chapter 11
only records the
faith of these
patriarchs. This
applies also to us
because it is our
faith that carries
our names into
eternity.
So by faith
we should be
answering the call
of God as these men
and women did.
Very rarely do we
see people of
worldly high stature
being called by God
in the Bible. God
chooses the common
man to do His great
work.
In 1
Corinthians 1:26-27
it says:
For you see your
calling, brethren,
that not many wise
according to the
flesh, not many
mighty, not many
noble, are called.
But God has chosen
the foolish things
of the world to put
to shame the wise,
and God has chosen
the weak things of
the world to put to
shame the things
that are mighty.
God even chose the
womb of a common
virgin girl to
incarnate His Son
into the world to
save it from their
sins.
Jesus Christ
Himself, the Son of
God, who would do
the greatest of
God’s called work,
lived one of the
most humble lives
ever lived by
anyone.
He never
owned a house, He
walked almost
everywhere He went,
He served His own
disciples, He came
from Nazareth, the
most humblest of
towns, (John 1:46),
and He humbly and
willingly submitted
to the authorities
even though He was
innocent.
Christ is our
greatest example of
how we should humbly
answer the call of
God.
So what does it mean
for the common man
in today’s world to
answer the call of
God? It means that
when we have
accepted Jesus
Christ as our Savior
we have then become
among the called. We
don’t just accept
Christ and kick back
in a lounge chair
and wait for His
coming.
We should be
telling others about
Him! We should want
to share the good
news of eternal life
through simple
faith. Starting with
our immediate
family, friends,
co-workers, etc. If
God wants you to go
further than that
then He will let you
know in His still
small voice. This is
where ministers and
missionaries hear
their calling,
after they
have already began
to serve Him.
Sometimes
God’s calling may
lead us into
perilous situations
but our faith should
overcome any
tribulation that the
world throws at us,
especially when we
are doing His work.
“Blessed are those
who are persecuted
for righteousness’
sake, for theirs is
the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are
you when they revile
and persecute you,
and say all kinds of
evil against you
falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad,
for great is your
reward in heaven,
for so they
persecuted the
prophets who were
before you.”
(Matthew 5:11-12)
While the saints
listed in Hebrews 11
are my Biblical
heroes, it is the
missionaries of our
modern day who
forfeit
ALL of their
lives, putting
themselves in harms
way by venturing
into the most remote
and hostile places
of the world to
spread the gospel to
people that have
never heard it that
are my personal
modern day heroes.
We should be
supporting them with
our prayers and if
God has blessed you
to do so,
financially as well.
They are the
TRUE laborers of
the harvest to
fullest extreme but
we are all called to
be laborers to some
extent or another.
We serve
Christ by simply
sharing Him.
While it is true
that God speaks to
us through that
still small voice in
our conscience, it
is also true that
God speaks to us
through life’s
circumstances. It is
important to observe
the circumstances
that God has placed
around us and to be
perceptive to His
presence within it.
Everything happens
for a reason and we
need to trust Him
throughout
ALL of life’s
circumstances
especially if you
are among the
called.
“And we know that
all things work
together for good to
those who love God,
to those
who are the
called
according to His
purpose.” (Romans
8:28)
The above verse is a
popular one quoted
to those that are
enduring any of
life’s hardships but
the words that I
have bolded are
often overlooked
when it is quoted.
It says those
“who are the called”
according to His
purpose know that
everything is
working for His
purpose.
That means
that those that are
not called
are living life
believing that
everything that
happens is a random
course of events.
God’s children know
that is not so.
There is a
divine plan in
progress and it is
playing out every
minute.
Everything
happens for a reason
and God’s chosen are
called to accomplish
His
good
purpose.
If we are
living a
self-centered life
we won’t see or hear
our calling. If we
are living a life of
self-pity we also
will miss the call.
We need to be
living a victorious
life in Christ to be
able to hear that
still small voice.
Perhaps the
Lord is calling on
you, dear reader.
Are you able to hear
Him?
Be like
Elijah and find a
nice quiet cave,
shut off your
digital devices, and
you may just find
out that God has
been calling you for
quite a long time.
You just
weren’t listening!
“He who has an ear,
let him hear what
the Spirit says to
the churches.”
(Revelation 3:22)