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Called To Be…What?
Have you ever heard a Word from God that you didn’t want to hear, or thought that God might be calling you to an undesirable task? It wouldn’t be the first time that this has happened. Many men and women in the Bible were called to do things they didn’t want to do, or felt unqualified for. Jonah had the same experience. The story of his call to be a prophet to Nineveh has many insights and applications for Christians even today.
The Word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Jonah 1:1-2
Three important facts to consider:
The Lord spoke directly to Jonah.
Obviously, the Lord had a specific task to be done and He had chosen the prophet Jonah to be the messenger through whom He would complete His task. In the Old Testament, God generally doesn’t speak to whole groups of people at the same time. He speaks to his prophets directly and then they carry the message to the people. The prophets are known are the oracles of God. They are the mouthpieces through which God communicates with His people. God gave him the specifics of where he was to go, what he was to do, and even why he was to deliver this message to the people. When God speaks that clearly and directly to an individual, it is not an accident. He is serious.
Jonah Blatantly Disobeys.
Jonah was a prophet. This was his calling in life and he knew it. Jonah was not a novice. He knew how to recognize the voice of God and had been used by God before as His prophet. (II Kings 14:25) He heard what God had told him to do and deliberately ran away. He went down to Joppa to find the first ship to Tarshish, which was in the opposite way of where God had directed him to go. He knew exactly what he was doing when he got on that ship.
Jonah Was Fleeing From The Call Of God.
There’s no doubt about it. Jonah didn’t want the task that was assigned to him. He wasn’t just sitting down and refusing to do the job. He wasn’t spitting and sputtering about the assignment. No, Jonah took action that was very definitive. Through his rebellious behavior, Jonah was silently saying a loud “No” to God’s call as he boarded the boat. He was trying to get as far away from the call as possible. Perhaps he was hoping that he could outrun God.
Resisting The Call Of God
If you asked most pastors or people in church leadership, they will admit that when they first heard the call of God on their lives they tried to duck it. It seems as if this is a common thread they frequently share. The question is, why does this happen? Several possibilities exist.
Rebellion
Perhaps they’re like Jonah and are simply rebellious. The people of Nineveh were known to be very wicked and Jonah didn’t want to deal with them. He was disgusted by their rebellion against the Lord. In fact, they were enemies to the Israelites and he hated them. In Chapter 4:2-3, Jonah tells in his own words why he didn’t go to Nineveh as the Lord had commanded him to. Jonah angrily tells God: “I fled unto Tarshish because I knew you were a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness and not wishing to harm them. Therefore now, Oh Lord, take my life from me. For it is better for me to die than to live.”
In other words Jonah was saying, “Hey Lord! Why did you send me to my enemies to have me tell them you were going to destroy them just so you could have mercy on them and so they could laugh at me because nothing I said would happen is going to happen. I might as well be dead than be humiliated by them. No one will take me seriously anymore.”
Jonah was showing that his rebellion was based in self importance and pride. For Jonah it’s all about what he wants to happen, who he thinks deserves mercy and grace, and how he thinks he’ll be perceived by others. It is self focused rather than God focused. The Bible says: For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as idolatry. (I Samuel 15:23)
These were the words the prophet Samuel spoke to King Saul because of his disobedience of God’s specific directions in and after a battle with the Amalakites. Because of King Saul’s disobedience the anointing of God and his position were stripped from him. When we are rebellious and disobedient toward god, we bring judgment onto ourselves. When we deliberately flee from the call of God because we are rebellious and don’t like the task, we are creating our own troubles. We will not find peace or contentment until we lay down our own ideas and preconceived notions and exchange them for God’s call.
Fear
Sometimes people just get scared. In the book of I Kings 18, God had just demonstrated an awesome display of power through the prophetic Words and deeds of Isaiah in a showdown with the priests of Baal. In this story all the priests were killed because of their rebellion against God and the people both proclaim and reclaim their allegiance to God. Yet, in the very next chapter (I Kings 19:4-8) Isaiah experienced an attack of fear and fled from Queen Jezebel who threatened his life.
We might wonder how such a victorious prophet of God could become so easily intimidated. It’s satan’s attack on the mind. Again, the root of the problem is pride. When we’re afraid of moving out into the calling God has on our lives, it’s because we see ourselves and our natural abilities, rather than seeing God’s supernatural empowerment. Fear is the absence of faith. They cannot coexist. To have faith in God means to have faith in the One who is Love. The Bible says that “perfect love casts out all fear.” So to live in Christ is to live in love, and to walk in faith instead of fear.
Insecurity
Closely linked with fear is insecurity. It is the feeling of being inadequate or unqualified to do the job. Moses had this problem. (Exodus 3:10- 4:10)
Exodus 3:11 Who am I that I should go before Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Exodus 3:13 When I come to the children of Israel and they ask me what your name is, what should I tell them?
Exodus 4:1 But they won’t believe me or listen to me. For they will say, The Lord has not appeared to you.
Exodus 4:10 But I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.
Moses was very unsure of his ability. God however is patient with us in our doubts and always provides us with a means of doing what He has called us to. Continued insecurity after God makes provision for you is unacceptable to God. It is based in pride and fear. At some point, God grows impatient with excuses. God doesn’t call the qualified…but qualifies the called.
What did Jesus do? He wasn’t anything more than a carpenter’s son. He wasn’t trained in the rabbinic law, but was qualified and empowered by the Father to do what He was instructed to do. It’s not about us! Jesus said, “Thy will be done.”
Self Absorption or Laziness
People miss the call of God because they’re distracted, they aren’t tuned into His message, or they just blow it off. Matthew 22 tells the story of the man who sent His servant to invite guests to the wedding feast, and how the guest had one by one declined his invitation. The passage says those in the first group were not worthy. They hadn’t developed a deep relationship with the Lord, and don’t understand the importance of the call.
Of those in the second group who accepted the invitation, even one of them was bound and taken away because he showed up unprepared for the occasion. He was too lazy to change his clothes, or show the proper respect for the call to the feast. Many in this story did not have their priorities straight and because of it, they missed the call of God.
We too must be careful to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. If we fail to do this, we could also be one of the many called, but few who respond. How awful it would be to have missed God’s true calling because we were too distracted with the cares of this world, or too busy to be tuned into to hear His voice! Sometimes He may have to light a fire under us to get our attention. We can become complacent and satisfied with what we have rather than seeking to be brought into a deeper relationship with God.
We know that God redirected and reordered Jonah’s steps in a way that he didn’t particularly like. God sent a whale to swallow Jonah and give him plenty of time to think about his decision to run from God. The Father would rather have faithful followers who will focus on the task he gives and be willing to put aside what they’re doing for His plan. God’s ways are worth the effort and are designed to be fruitful.
What About You?
There are those who have heard the call and think they have a different or better, more palatable plan for their lives. This is what the Word of God says about that:
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope."
Isaiah 43:1 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
There are those who’ve been afraid of the call. The Word of the Lord says to you:
II Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given you a Spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Isaiah 43:1 "Fear not for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, and you are mine."
Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
There are those who like Jeremiah have felt inadequate. But, the Lord has the same Word for you as he did for the prophet.
Jeremiah 1:7-8 Do not say, “I am only a child.” For you shall go to everyone that I send you to and say whatever I command you to. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you. When you stand before your accusers think not about what you will say, for I will put my words in your mouth.
Finally, there are those who have become dull of hearing, hurried, satisfied, or complacent with their station in life. To you He says,
Isaiah 52:1 & 60:1 Do not be deceived for the Lord will not be mocked. That which you reap is what you will sow. Awake! Awake! Put on thy strength oh Zion. Put on thy beautiful garments Jerusalem. Arise shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
The Lord is giving a clear directive to his people to be radically in tune with his call for their lives. He will not accept disobedience, fear, insecurity, distraction or laziness as excuses for resisting His plan for our lives. It’s time to become radically obedient to His will so we can fulfill His plan for our lives and participate in his mission to the world.
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Website Revised: 10/22/2010. Copyright © 2005 [Susan Bottger Ministries]. All rights reserved. |