The Unfolding Call

The call of God is not always about entering a ministry of preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and serving the church.  When we read about the call of Moses we see a calling that meant becoming a leader of a nation, a call that meant entering the political arena, a calling to stand as the mouth of God in the world, and a call to actively right a terrible wrong.  If Moses even caught a glimpse of what it would mean in his life, no one should be surprised that he sought a way out from under what God was calling him to do.   

It is always a mistake to think that God only calls people to traditional looking ministries within the church which stands on the corner.  To say this is not to diminish the reality of just such a call, but simply a way of declaring that it is never wise to limit the nature of the call that is uttered from the mouth and heart of God.  Even as God looked and listened and heard the cries of the suffering Hebrews, so does He look and listen and hear the cries of those whom He loves in our own day.     

When He hears and seeks to respond, it may be in some way that is as large as the unfolding call of Moses, but it may also be a call to embrace something that is more limited, but no less important to the overall plan and purposes of God.  For God to continue in His calling work means that there are still things He is seeking to accomplish in a world that remains as out of kilter as it was in the day of Moses.  When there are things which He wants done, it is likely that someone like you and me will hear a Word from God that invites us and calls us to a moment of saying, "Here am I; send  me!"  (Isaiah 6:8)