WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S CALLING?
SONG:
When He calls me. I will answer. When He calls me. I will answer. When He calls me I will answer.
I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.
TEXT:
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:...So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran." (Genesis 12 verses 1 to 4).
How do you respond to God’s bidding, or how do you act towards His Word?
From our Scripture reading today, Abram was called out of the land of his nativity unto an unknown land, which was called the Land of Promise. Everything he believed God for regarding the said land was by promise. Hence it was called "the Land of Promise".
I would like to say that this was a trying moment for Abraham as regards his faith and obedience unto God. The repercussion was that Abraham would have to separate himself and set himself apart for God's use. Thank God that Abraham did not fail this test. As the Scripture reading for today says, "So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."
God’s calling is a sacred invitation that requires both humility and willingness of heart. In response thereto, it's necessary for you to have cultivated an attitude of attentiveness, willingness and obedience. His voice may be gentle as a whisper, but it's actually distinct. It's usually not spectacular, but in the form of a "still small voice" (see 1st Kings.19 verse 12) Yet, it's never to be confused with any other. Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"
In other words, for God’s voice to be heard requires attention and dedication to the Master. There must be an intentional preparation or readiness of our hearts for us to be able to receive the faint whispers of the Holy Spirit. In this regard, we might need to break up the fallow ground in order that the soil can be suitable for the seed to do well.
As a good soil nurtures the seed, so must we prepare our hearts to be suitable for the Word of God to yield fruits.
To facilitate this, it is good to practice moments of stillness amidst our tight and busy daily schedules. Just as Jesus would withdraw to the mountains to pray, we too should create time for solitude, where we might commune with our Lord and seek His guidance in the affairs of life. We can be sure that at such moments, He will speak for us to hear.
Another way of doing this is to immerse ourselves in the Holy Scriptures. It's amazing that the more of the Holy Scriptures we have in our spirits, the more we are able to decipher or decode the Voice of God in us. Truth is that God will not go outside His Word to speak to us.
It is good therefore to set a time each day to reflect upon God's Word, allowing the same to shape our hearts and minds.
PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. By Your Word, I'm instructed on a daily basis, in Jesus' Mighty name.