2 The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, I want you to stand up and listen.”2 After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the Lord said:
3 Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop. 4 They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I, the Lord God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. 5 Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.
31 Terah decided to move from Ur to the land of Canaan. He took along Abram and Sarai and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran. But when they came to the city of Haran, they decided to settle there instead. 32 Terah lived to be two hundred five years old and died in Haran.
The Lord Chooses Abram
12 The Lord said to Abram:
Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.
4-5 Abram was seventy-five years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while in Haran.
When they came to the land of Canaan,
How nice it is, usually, to be chosen, selected, picked out. A feeling of being special, “The One”, lined up for something. We like to be chosen, it makes us feel valuable.
But I wonder how Abram felt here about being chosen by God? Leave your home, your wider family, all that is familiar – and come on a journey with me. I think my response would be along the lines of, ‘Well, thank you Lord, but that sounds really rather scary, quite uncomfortable and fraught with difficulty. Perhaps on this occasion I’d rather not be chosen – and stay here.’ Actually I’m sure I’ve said that to God before when he’s invited me to come with him.
Maggi gives some wise advice on hearing and discerning “a call” (p41).
God chooses each one of us. He invites us to come with him. To journey. To calling. To blessing. It is not just for Patriarchs, Prophets and Priests, it for us all.
Someone gave us this when God was shouting at me about full-time Presbyteral Ministry (which is emphatically not the only call…), and I was choosing not to hear very well
Who us?
And the Lord said, “Go!”
And we said, “Who us?”
And he said, “Yes, you”.
And we said,
“But we’re not ready yet
And there’s company coming.
And we can’t leave the kids,
And you know there is no-one to take our place.”
And he said, “You’re stalling”.
Again the Lord said, “Go”.
And we said,
“But we don’t want to”.
And we said,
“Listen, we’re not that kind of people
To get involved so deeply,
besides
Our family wouldn’t like it.
And what will the neighbours think?”
And he said, “Baloney”.
And yet a third time the Lord said, “Go!”
And we said, “Do we have to?”
And he said, “Do you love me?”
And we said,
“Look, we’re scared.
People are going to reject us.
And cut us up into little pieces.
And we can’t take it all by ourselves.”
And he said, “Where do you think I’ll be?”
And the Lord said, “Go!”
And we sighed, “Here we are Lord, send us”.
Sometimes you just have to stop arguing with God, and go with him!
That’s something he calls us all to do. The direction for each of us may be different, but God has chosen each of us for something. None of that embarrassing waiting in a line to be picked like in PE lessons…
God has chosen you. Will you let him? Will you go with him?
Maggi reminds us that hearing a call is a beginning of a journey – not a final destination, or even knowing where that final destination is (if we knew we may well decide to stay firmly put :)) Hearing God’s call and responding is about being willing to start out on the journey.
And this I love,
The call of God seems to involve choosing what to take and what to leave behind and the willingness to do the sorting out and packing up that makes moving possible (p42)
That is vital as we continue the journey and discovery of our call – what comes with us and what stays behind?
Thank you Lord
for choosing me,
for having something
uniquely me shaped,
a task you need me for.
Lord,
when I stall,
dither,
question,
and drag my feet,
may I hear
with clarity
your call
and be brave enough to follow.
This year, several of us are reading Beginnings and Endings by Maggi Dawn and joining together to comment on it. Do join us at the Adventbookclub Facebook page, follow #adventbookclub on Twitter or comment below. If you are also reading and blogging on this book, let me know and I will link to your blog.
