How God calls a person to ministry is a very personal call. What Scripture provides us are brief sketches of how individuals heard and responded to God’s calling. While they are not exhaustive passages relaying precisely what transpired between the individual and God, they do offer a glimpse into how our heroes of Scripture reacted when hearing the voice of God.
For example, Moses of Exodus 3 and 4 argued with God when God called him to a huge mission. God was choosing a murderer who was a refugee from his country and his people on the run for his crimes. He also was most likely a stutterer. Moses’ first response to God was, “God, I’m sorry, but you got the wrong guy to do this.” Eventually, God overcame all of Moses’ objections, but it took a burning bush, a staff of miracles, and a healing ministry to get him there. Oh yeah, and Aaron was going to do the talking. This whole scene shows us a man who felt inadequate for the task, but God supplied him with everything he needed for the mission.
Compare Moses’ call with the call of Mary in Luke 1 to her mission of carrying the Messiah in her womb. When the Angel approached her, she, too, had reservations. Her central reservation was that she was unmarried and had never been with a man (vs. 34). However, God would overcome those limitations. Mary accepted her call and moved forward despite her reservations. Mary accepted her call despite her limitations. Moses had to discuss the matter with God in depth before God overcame all of his objections.
Both of these stories show that the call of God can come to those we would consider being least likely to fulfill the task. How could a fugitive of murder who stuttered lead an effort to free his people from earth’s greatest military and political power? How could a young girl from the backwaters of Gallilee who was unmarried bear the Savior of the world? God chooses whom he chooses. While we may look at these people and wonder why he chose them, we know that God provides the gifts and talents needed to fulfill his mission – regardless of their past or current limitations.
For me, and in looking at how the BoD describes my calling to CLM ministry, I shake my head and say, “Really? Me?” I was a terrible student, hated to speak in public, was a slothful person, and generally did not want anything to do with leadership positions. But yet God called me out of my limitations. Over the past 22 years, he has prepared me for this ministry. Most times, I fought the process, but God is good. His giftings have paved the way for my ministry.
The Wandering Wesleyan 