Called to Know Him

I have the privilege of participating in a local Ministerial Association here in Lyon County, KS. I know that sometimes Ministerial Associations can be frustrating and seem as productive as a two hour committee meeting to discuss carpet color, but I have found a good one.

For our January meeting the last several years, we have met together for a time of worship. This year's service included time to share in Quaker fashion whatever the Lord laid on our hearts. Funny how the things we intend to share are not the ones God has in mind. I was going to read the scripture about God doing a new thing. That was my plan, but as I flipped into Isaiah, the Lord caught my eye with this passage:

"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed-- I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he..." Isaiah 43:10-13a.

Sitting in a group of ministers, the passage seemed rather fitting. We need a reminder sometimes that while it is true that God calls us to minister to others, the primary reason he has called us to be his servants is to believe him; to understand him; to know that he is the only God.

A fellow servant in the meeting shared how God was teaching him to trust God's provision as he stepped out in faith to minister to the unlovely--the homeless, the single mothers and their children--without a paycheck. God is faithfully providing, but if this brother had not stepped out in faith to serve, he would not have the same occasion to believe God.

I, too, have found that since I stepped out in ministry, I believe God more than ever. I understand his promises personally. I have seen him work out his plan and purpose. I have come to know him in a new way. In a way that would have been impossible if I would have remained in my safe, self-reliant way of life.

I am rejoicing today in the gift of being called to serve as his witness, not only for the purpose of reaching out to others, but for the opportunity to personally gain new knowledge, understanding, and faith in my God and Savior.