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Y faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)
The call of God is not always a call to service or salvation. It is often a call to condemnation as in the case of Adam and Eve at the Eden, or of Cain after the murder of his brother. However, the Calling of which this devotion is about is that to salvation and Holy service. The Lord has known our hearts from before the foundation of the world, and knows our going out and coming in more intimately than we ourselves know. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9a)
There was a time our friend, Noah, was going about his daily chores when, suddenly, he heard a voice commanding Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. (Genesis 6:14) Noah, by no merit of his own, found grace in the eyes of the Lord. There is always grace in the Lord’s eyes, but many do not find it by faith as did Noah. No further explanation is needed.
Samuel, at a tender age, was aforetime called of God for a purpose: And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. (1 Samuel 2:35) That faithful priest would be Samuel. Notice that Samuel did not do what was right in his own eyes, but did according to what the Lord willed and assumed the Mind of God in doing those things. Eli was a long-standing priest of the Lord, but his ears were not sensitive to the voice of the Lord either physically or spiritually. Late in the night the Lord called Samuel thrice and, though Eli did not hear that voice, he informed Samuel on the third call that it was the Lord who called. This must have been an awe-inspiring moment for the young servant of the Lord. God calls at unexpected times and usually during the mundane hours of rest or labor.
The boy-farmer, Gideon, was called by the Lord as he was threshing wheat. The Angel of the Lord referred to this youth as a man of valor. Of course, no mature man would have feared this youth, however, God needs no manly strength to achieve His purposes, so, He calls Gideon to defeat a huge army (the host of Midian) with what would finally be only 300 warriors. I believe the reason for this illogically lop-sided victory was intended to show that the victory always belongs to God and to no man. The call of God to men is not without mystery to both the called and those who hear of it.
Speaking of the mysterious call, Jacob was confronted with the Angel of the Lord with whom he wrestled all night. This was a peculiar but profound call. The Angel said to Jacob: Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:28) Jacob was a persevering son of Isaac and, owing to that persevering faith, his name was changed by the Lord to the name, Israel. The blessing given by his father was confirmed in the decree of the Angel. Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
There are other unexpected calls from God in the Testaments, but the last is the most dramatic in my thinking – that of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. The last thing Saul expected was a confrontation from the Lord Jesus Christ Church he was actively persecuting. This was not a call based on any meritorious record of the life of Saul thus far. He was guilty of the stoning of Stephen and was intending to further such persecution against every Christian he encountered. His soul was dead in trespasses and sin but would soon be shocked to the core at what was about to happen on that road to Damascus. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (Acts 9:3-6) God draws some to Himself kicking and screaming, but they come nonetheless. If you are a Christian, you, too, have been privileged to experience the call of God to the throne of grace and mercy motivated by the blessing faith. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)
Enough said!
