These facts about the call of God were taken from readings of the different calls to God’s servants as written in the Scriptures. These readings are the following: Call of Moses in Exodus 3,4; Call of Abram in Genesis 12: 1-9; the call of Gideon in Judges 6: 11- 40; the commission of Isaiah in Isaiah 6: 1- 13; the call of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1: 4- 19; the conversion of Saul in Acts 9: 1- 19; the call of Ezekiel 2, 3 and Jephthah in Judges 11: 4- 28.
Surely there are other truths from these readings. For the meantime, these are what we will have:
1. The call of God is one nobody can escape from. Nobody can reason out against it and or out of it. Our incapacities, weaknesses or inadequacies cannot stand as an excuse. In fact, there is no excuse. How many excuses did Moses use? But all availed nothing for him. Gideon himself had two (Judges 6: 15).
2. God Himself is the one calling. Sometimes His angels descend and make contact or other God- anointed persons (elders of Israel for Jephthah) make the call for God but most of the times He is the one calling. It only assures us that God is real and He talks to us. Another important message that cannot be discounted is that God also talks to His “called ones” through anointed persons and other anointed servants. Ananias was anointed for Paul.
3. The call is always one spectacular event. Spectacular in the sense that these calls are one of the many times the fire of God is revealed, His light flashes its glory, and other miraculous signs. We have come to read about the Burning bush, light that met Saul in his way to Damascus, vision of Isaiah, Ezekiel lifted up by the Spirit, Gideon’s fleece and others.
4. An event of complete turnaround. The turnarounds always result from the call. This is in the sense that the weak becomes strong, the doubter becomes faithful, or the persecutor turns into the most audacious servant.
5. God never abandons His called ones. He always feed them and strengthens them with His Word before letting them into the battle or task. God touched Jeremiah’s lips, literally “handfeeding” him and then later in the chapter says, “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1: 19). Similarly, Ezekiel was fed with the “scroll” before he was sent to speak to the house of Israel (Ezekiel 3: 1- 3).
6. The task often is impossible. That maybe is the reason why the called ones seem to have reservations in accepting it. But having obediently accepted the authority from God, their names are forever written in the Book of Life. So that the called ones are truly among the few who we can described today as ones who “have fought the good fight, …finished the race, …have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4: 7).
7. Every call bears the characteristic persistence and patience of God in calling His chosen. Such persistence we can all discern today as a blessing as it guided the chosen into the call and into Him. It is one of the things to thank God for. He had to persist on the budding prophet Samuel who is about to sleep. He also had to contend with the insecurities of Moses.
8. God always prevail whether against resistance by His chosen ones or against any resistance to His purpose.
9. Obedience may not be immediate but always is the end of the call of God. The victory that follows these calls shows God never forsakes any of His called ones and that his purposes and plans ultimately prevails. Obedience thus is allowing ourselves as a vessel of God’s victory in this world. And though it carries with it immense responsibility, is never burdensome.
10. Moses saw the fire, heard the voice. Paul saw the light, heard the voice. Abram heard the voice. Samuel heard the voice. Isaiah saw the vision and heard the voice. Jeremiah heard the voice. The common ingredient of the contact was they have all heard the voice of God. Not one saw God but what they have was enough to believe and obey. In other words; the Word of God we hear is as good; as effective; as alive; and as powerful as His presence. The story of the centurion in Capernaum and the Lord Jesus (Matthew 8: 4- 13) profoundly highlighted that truth.
