S82P12 – The beauty of the call: Isaiah
Isa. 1:2-4
Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “I have reared and brought up sons, but they have rebelled against Me and have broken away. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s feeding trough, but Israel does not know Me as Lord, My people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded down with wickedness, offspring of evildoers, sons who behave corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him.
When their manager decided to take a position at another store, they knew that one of them would be moving up to take her place. They were a small team and had grown close over the years they spent working side-by-side. The expectation was that regional management would not post this position but simply would choose someone from that store who could fill the role of manager, and not one of them would have passed up the opportunity. It was the elder statesmen of the bunch who was selected to run the store, and everyone was excited for him. He was excited as well until he received his first assignment. He would have to execute a disciplinary action against the one who was his closest colleague.
Isaiah was called to a very difficult task. He would be God’s mouthpiece to his people, and many of us would love the opportunity to be that. Of course, being God’s mouthpiece does not necessarily bring popularity among men. When He asks us to speak words which are soft and gentle everyone is our friend. When He asks us to deliver a stern but necessary rebuke people might not want to hear it. It comes down to the question of whose favor we desire. If we are bothered by the prospect of being unpopular among our peers as a result of God’s calling, then we must ask whether we truly want him to call us. If the end goal is serving God and accomplishing the purposes of his kingdom, then the discomfort should make no matter to us.
When we ask God to open the door and bring forth our calling, we must be realistic about our request. Our expectation should be that everything about us takes a back seat to what matters to him. If fulfilling God’s calling in my life means that I must be unpopular, then so be it. If I must be uncomfortable, then so be it. His peace transcends all understanding, and his blessings are limitless. A little sacrifice in the natural on our part is well worth what can be accomplished in the supernatural. Father, make us more sacrificial and less concerned about what our calling means for us, having as our focus the fulfillment of your will.