Called, Chosen, and Faithful
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, chosen to speak God’s word. He was obedient even when he knew he would be repeatedly beaten and thrown in jail for speaking God’s word as commanded. Hear the faithful prophet’s lament:
“For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction because for me the word of the LORD has resulted in reproach and derision all day long.
But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak any more in His name,’ then in my heart, it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones and I am weary of holding it in and I cannot endure it.”' Jeremiah 20: 8-10 NASB
Jeremiah is weary of giving God’s word to people when it is always rejected. His messages are not what they want to hear. He is repeatedly shamed, ridiculed, punished, beaten, and jailed for His ministry. Through it all, however, he trusts God to bring about what is intended. Jeremiah goes again and again to talk things over with God, but the truth is that he couldn’t not obey. He was compelled to fulfill his calling even though he was made a laughingstock.
Jeremiah was created to speak God’s word to the people, whether he wanted to or not. He had to speak regardless of the consequences to him, because Jeremiah was called to be a prophet at a time when God’s people were rebellious and disobedient.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1: 5 NASB
Such difficult paths so many of God’s saints are called to walk! It helps a great deal when we are assured that what we are called to do is God’s idea, not ours. As we obey, the outcome is in His hands. More than once, we may remind the Lord (as if He doesn’t know), that it was His idea when we experience challenges and opposition while faithfully fulfilling our calling in obedience to Him.
Early in my calling as a mental health social worker counseling many of God’s people, I was complaining about doing His will and still having people come against me. God told me “Nothing worth doing is without opposition.” When we are in His will and it’s going wrong for us, it brings great peace to know this. Like Jeremiah, we would prefer no opposition to the work God has given us, but that is not what He promised. In fact, it is rare for those called according to His purposes. As the disciples said when spreading the gospel to others:
“We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22
God often calls us to do many things that have never entered our hearts, when we end up doing things we never thought of or even considered ourselves able to do. This includes future endeavors we definitely did not want to do and would not have chosen for ourselves. When we are in the center of His will, as Jeremiah was, He promises us that He will equip us to do it all. This is regardless of whether we feel prepared for it or not, or whether we always want to, every moment of every day.
God’s chosen work for us may not on our list of goals for our future. Even if the calling is one we desire, we cannot count on all to go smoothly, just like it did not for the Old and New Testament saints. Barriers and difficulties arise, but we can rest in the assurance that He led us down this path. With surrender of our own will and ideas, it becomes a joy to walk the paths God chooses, regardless of the inevitable adversity as we do so.
God is never surprised or unprepared for the obstacles we face, the opposition we encounter from others who do not share our vision or calling. He is always gracious to reveal how to handle each obstacle, providing a way for each obedient servant. We soon learn that these obstacles strengthen us, just as the apostle Paul experienced.
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV
When He calls us, we can rest in knowing we are chosen, we are in the kingdom for such a time as this. Such was Esther’s experience when she was called to be Queen for King Ahasuerus (Xerxes). This is a wonderful story of God’s calling to a future never considered by this beautiful young Jewish woman.
As the biblical account goes, King Ahasuerus’ Queen, Vashti, displeased the King, so he sought for another. Raised by Mordecai, her uncle, Esther learned to submit to his godly guidance. Thus, Esther was well prepared to be the next Queen. Because of God’s calling on her life, Esther found favor with all those in the palace and was chosen by the King to be his next Queen:
“Now the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the [other] virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in the place of Vashti.” Esther 2:17 Amplified
Being Jews, Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, directed Esther not to share their Jewish heritage. Mordecai was a respected elder in the community, serving in the King’s court, along with another man of ambition and pride named Haman. Haman eventually was promoted to be the chief authority over all the officials. Haman persuaded the King to decree that all bow down and pay homage to Haman. Mordecai refused to do so and it made Haman furious:
“When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, he was furious. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were (his nationality);
so Haman determined to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who lived throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus.” Esther 3:5-6 Amplified
Haman was offended and angry at Mordecai’s continual refusal to honor and recognize Haman as he thought was his due. He devised a plot to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom, not just Mordecai, his hated enemy. He convinced King Ahasuerus that the Jewish population in the King’s domain was a threat to his rule. Acting upon this lie, the King was persuaded to issue a decree that all Jews were to be killed. What an illustration of pride and jealousy, the “pride of life,” in this man, working such evil in his heart to completely annihilate God’s people!
Because of this, all Jews were greatly afraid, and began to fast and pray, including Mordecai. He was at the gates of the court in sackcloth and ashes, mourning this decree when Queen Esther was told about what her uncle was doing. She also became greatly afraid for herself and her people. Mordecai wanted her to go to the King to intervene for her people, the Jews. The king had not called for her for some time and Esther was frightened, knowing that anyone who went to the King without being summoned could be put to death.
Mordecai sent this word back to her:
“Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance].
And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?” Esther 4: 13-14 Amplified
God had placed Esther in the position of Queen for just this time. And Esther, as she had been trained to do, obeyed her uncle and saved her people. She risked her life to go into the King without being summoned. She did what she was called to do and relied on the Lord to see her through. She asked Mordecai and the Jews in that area, as well as her handmaids, to fast and pray for three full days. After this, she said:
“Then, I will go in to [see] the king [without being summoned], which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:15-16 Amplified
Esther put her fate in God’s hands to obey what her uncle, Mordecai, told her to do. God showed her exactly how to proceed, and His plan worked to save her people. The outcome for Haman and his entire family was to be hanged on what he had built in preparation for Mordecai and other Jews. Esther was called to something she never sought nor anticipated. It was a glorious calling and the people rejoiced in her obedience on their behalf. Esther submitted her will to Mordecai’s words from God, laying down her life, literally, for this cause. She was truly placed in this royal position for such a time as this!
Many of us are placed exactly when and where God would have us, being called, qualified to be chosen and remaining faithful to the fulfillment of His purposes. God’s people are in specific positions for just the time they are needed, all over the world. You cannot limit God by saying He would never have His own in a certain area, profession, or work. He always has a people prepared to do His will as various events come upon His own.
Children are also birthed into this world to be ready for what is needed in their era. God is now moving many into position as the sons and daughters of God take their place today. They are prepared, called, chosen and will be proven faithful in the fulfilling of their ministry for such a time as this. God has a destiny for us, so it matters not to God whether we are known, incredibly gifted, or even trained in these future positions.
When God chooses us, we will walk the path to carry out what He needs for His great plan of redemption. Whom He calls, He equips, opens doors, and lights the path before us. God always knows what He is doing, even when His plans are unknown to us beforehand. Whatever we are called to do, we are chosen in Him for this purpose and He makes us faithful to our calling. What Mordecai said was true, however: if Esther did not step forward, God would raise another to save His people. But God knew she would do it. He knew she was well prepared and would succeed. It was His idea!
Such biblical accounts can teach us much. It’s reassuring to read how very human and very holy the people of the Old Testament were. We see how challenges and obstacles are presented to each man or woman who served Him. The message is surely that we should expect challenges in our calling. This is reiterated, and confirmed, in multiple New Testament passages of scripture. Can you think of anyone in the book, old or new, who was called in God and had a smooth path?
Numerous biblical characters reveal just the opposite. Abraham and Sarah had much sorrow and distress before producing Isaac, the child of the Promise. Then God the Father tested Abraham even further in ordering him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham’s obedience in this test confirmed him as the Father of our faith. Through Isaac, God established the lineage of Jesus. Another founding father of our faith, Jacob, had no easy time winning the love of his life, Rachel. Rachel’s children were slow to arrive but, along with her sister Leah’s, these twelve men held the destiny in God as the originators of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Both Joseph and David were called to highly exalted positions in the Lord but faced much adversity before they were able to fulfill what God had told them would unfold Both were foolish or innocent enough to tell their siblings how God would use them and were ridiculed and mistreated by them. Joseph was sold for the later purpose of saving many, including the brothers who had betrayed him. On the way to managing Egypt for the king, Joseph was betrayed and imprisoned for many years. David had to flee from Saul, his former benefactor, fighting to save himself, his men, and his future kingdom.
The enemies of the saints of God in the Bible are an extension of how society—humankind—views the rewards of high and lofty positions in the world. People who desire to be rulers covet being powerful, admired, and exalted in the eyes of others. They’re jealous of anyone God calls to these positions and typically work against them. Jesus saw through the scribes and Pharisees who held these attitudes in their hearts despite their pious words and behavior.
God’s chosen leaders are servants who do what they do unto the Lord, not for the admiration and esteem of people. To minister is to serve, translated as such in both the Old and New testaments. It is not to rule, exalting oneself over those who are being served. Even Jesus’ disciples displayed this behavior. After two of them asked for a position of prominence on His right and left in the Kingdom, Jesus said:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 NIV
God’s servants have a heart for His work, placed within them by God Himself. Those called to sonship are sons of God indeed, given authority in the kingdom while also being priests who serve the people. They walk in intimacy with the Lord as they fulfill their calling and purpose on this earth. A dear Catholic friend shared this wonderful story of St. Teresa of Avila, a nun who was known to have a very intimate relationship with Jesus her Lord.
In The Life of St. Teresa, we find this account of her experiences, written in 1582:
“Teresa describes the journey thus: ‘We had to run through many dangers. At no part of the road were the risks greater than within a few leagues of Burgos, at a place called Los Pontes.
The rivers were so high that the water in places covered everything, neither road nor the smallest footpath could be seen, only water everywhere, and two abysses on each side. It seemed foolhardiness to advance, especially in a carriage, for if one strayed ever so little off the road (then invisible), one must have perished.’
The saint is silent on her share of the adventure, but her companions relate that seeing their alarm, she turned to them and encouraged them, saying that ‘as they were engaged in doing God’s work, how could they die in a better cause?’
She then led the way on foot. The current was so strong that she lost her footing, and was on the point of being carried away when our Lord sustained her. ‘Oh, my Lord!’ she exclaimed, with her usual loving familiarity, ‘when wilt Thou cease from scattering obstacles in our path?’ ‘
“Do not complain, daughter,’ the Divine Master answered, ‘for it is ever thus that I treat My friends.’
“Ah, Lord, it is also on that account that Thou hast so few!’ was her reply.”
Reprint: J Franciscus Archiepiscopus WestMonest. 27 Sept., 1904.
Such stories of God’s chosen are very real ones with which we can identify, perhaps joining this beleaguered saint in such a comment. It is clear that anything worth doing does bring opposition! God allows such opposition to strengthen and refine us. What the enemy of our soul means for evil, God means for good.
Let us learn also from Joseph’s life, another powerful biblical account of the consequences of being chosen by God. He told a dream in which his brothers bowed down before him. Because of jealousy and resentment, his brothers treated him cruelly, sending him into another land. When the time of famine came many years later, Joseph’s brothers who had betrayed him and thought him dead, encountered Joseph as the overseer of all Egypt and keeper of the food supply everyone needed to survive those years of famine.
With God’s provision, Joseph had survived being promoted, unjustly accused of wrong doing, further inprisoned for years while fellow prisoners he helped promptly forgot about him when they were released. Joseph’s trials continued to be most unfair, certainly not endgin with his brothers’ betrayal. Through much adversity, Joseph was prepared for a position of authority and responsibility in Egypt that was key to many, including his own father and brothers, surviving the famine.
At God’s direction, Joseph stored up grain in the prosperous years for the future famine God said was coming. When his brothers had to go to Egypt to get food, here’s what Joseph, the brother they betrayed and thought dead, told them as he revealed himself to them:
“But Joseph replied, ‘Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.
Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.’ So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.…” Genesis 50:19-21 Berean
We can be sure that Joseph did not always realize why things had happened to him the way they did. Joseph’s life is surely an example of more than one fiery trial necessary for God’s called and chosen to complete God’s plan. It was no easy path for him to gain this victory, taking many years to understand the purpose of all the evil that God allowed to befall him on the way. Joseph came to know that what was meant for evil, God had turned for good, using all the adversity to prepare him for an exalted and most critical calling.
Consider also the account of David’s life during the time from when he, as a young shepherd, is anointed King by the prophet Samuel, until years later, being placed as the King of Israel. He was not granted this position because he, as the youngest, or his father and brothers were prominent, nor did he inherit this calling by family heritage or tradition. He was solely chosen by God because of the condition of His heart, the faith he had already developed as a shepherd. We can be sure that David was a much better king after all he went through to get there.
We know from New Testament accounts that the beloved Apostle Paul had many obstacles in his ministry, including eventual rejection by the very churches he had birthed and nurtured. He later writes that these churches were divided such that Paul himself was no longer accepted in certain areas. Local ministry seized leadership, bringing division and strife among the Lord’s people.
Thus it has ever been so that God’s anointed suffer persecution and loss by those coveting their God-given calling. Where do any of us get the idea that God’s calling will create a smooth path for us? And yet, some of us are still surprised when we encounter obstacles on our way to being faithful to what He’s called and chosen us to accomplish in His kingdom.
Through the lives of His precious saints, then and now, we learn that when it is His idea, He will make His intended outcome happen. As we are faithful, He promises:
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalms 16:11 KJV
These words are more than just a statement. He is faithful and true to show us our specific path for the very life He calls us to live. And what a surprise it can be!
While God’s love is eternal and extended to all, we are definitely not the same in our calling. He created us with specific distinction and uniqueness. It is not better or worse than another’s, it’s just different. God knows this but Christians continue to yield to jealousy and strife today, just like in the early churches. Many attempt to make their way the only right way, judging others who do not follow the same road they are on, desiring other believers to be under their direction in place of God.
And more than one of the Lord’s called have tried to talk God out of their calling. Some of us immediately attempt to disqualify ourselves when God calls us to do something we have never considered—or even desired! We soon learn through the word and our life experiences that if He calls us, He equips us and blesses us in it. Our part is to say, “Yes, Lord, let it be as You say.”
We are preparedto become what we are not, in order to fulfill His will about who He says we are. He sees what we are to be, not the lack we know we have. Whatever He has made us thus far, He takes us further in Him in preparation for our calling.
“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say in response to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:28-31 Berean
God could do everything without us, we know that, but He makes a plan that includes us. We will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. He predestined some to be called, chosen, justified, and glorified as we remain faithful to His calling. He is in charge of any refining needed for us to fulfill what He has destined for us. If we have a nature that is gentle and shy, God will give us boldness when we need it. If we tend more towards bold leadership, the quality of gentleness will be enhanced as needed.
Adversity is God’s way of preparing and refining us to be at the center of His perfect will. He brings a balance of just what skills and characteristics we need to fulfill what He asks of us. We are called to leave some things, and even some people, along the way. We are led to let go of many experiences that have been a wonderful and most blessed time in our lives. This may happen after only a short time or many many years of fellowship and shared ministry.
When we resist God’s timing for moving on, if we do not submit and yield this precious time to be ended when He determines, He gradually removes the sweetness of His presence in the doing of it. Yes, some experiences are so very difficult to move on from because they are so wonderful! Many of us have had precious years of fellowship with other saints that now are scattered, the work gone, and most of the leaders passed to the other side.
These are treasured times of Christian companionship and growth. It is wise to cherish these times as gifts held loosely because our God is always on the move. We do not want to put our stakes down and set up camp, only to be left behind in what God is now doing, but sadly, many hae and do. Do you know that actual rivers do not flow in a straight line but have many curves and obstacles to go through in their path? Just so is the river of life flowing out from within. It has many curves and bends as it flows out to the sea of humanity.
“‘And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.’ Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” Romans 11:27-29 Berean
Yes, His calling is “without repentance,”meaning He does not change His mind about it, but how, when, where and with whom—or alone—He decides to use us in our calling surely does change. Sometimes we have wonderful fellowship with the saints, other times we are in the wilderness alone with God, and we may continue “outside the camp” as He dictates. We need to be quick to obey, ready to move on when He tells us it is time.
Just like the Israelites on the way to their promised land, we are to be prepared to move as God moves, surrendering quickly when He lets us know the season for this part of our calling has ended. Sometimes God causes others to end this season for us as they leave us to fulfill God’s purpose for them. Other times, we are ejected from the work with others we have been doing, and it is God, not the devil, that allows it. Endings are new beginnings in God!
Too many times, however,we assume we are here to stay, continuing to fulfill our calling as we are currently. With few exceptions, humans like things to stay the same when all is going well. There are few of us who embrace change but most seem to cling tightly to the familiar even if it is something God wants us now to leave. Sometimes He must even pry our fingers from what is to move us on in Him.
When God says, “It is done,” but we determine not to listen or obey because of what we want—or think it is the devil instead of our Lord—it does not go well with us! Yes, it is difficult to leave, especially when it has been such a good thing! But whenever we insist on staying in what is familiar and present, including all the patterns and traditions we’ve developed, Jesus our Lord is eventually left outside, knocking at the door. God has seasons for us to be with certain others, accomplishing His work for that time, times of mutual growth. Then He moves each of us further along the path of life He has ordained for us.
When we are faced with something we don’t want to do, we may search around for action that we might take to avoid it. But the key to an easier time of transition is surely to submit to His change for us as quickly as we can. This is like Jeremiah the prophet getting tired of the outcome of his words from God given to rebellious people. He decided he just wasn’t going to do it any more—but look what transpired! Read the entire chapter and you will see just how frustrated and worn out Jeremiah is in his lament to God.
You will also see his eventual confession of faithfulness to God in what he is called and chosen to do. He recalls the very reason he was in the world, in that place, for such a time as this. Read again in chapter 20:
“You have deceived me, O Lord and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the Lord has become to me a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, ‘I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,’ His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.” Jeremiah 20:7-9 Berean
Jeremiah had to do what God purposed him to do from the time he was formed in his mother’s womb. Read other accounts of both biblical and later Christians who attempt to escape their calling, such as Jonah in the post The Reluctant Servant. We are not alone. When the call to move on comes, we too may try to make our present circumstances better or seek to rationalize and defend our desire to “stay the course.” Without God’s blessing, however, it becomes empty works without power.
We have seen multiple examples of this from the great Pentecostal and charismatic ministries of the past. Rarely did the leaders choose to lay down their works. Instead, many chose to continue to grow, expand, and build their work beyond what God called them to do. Eventually, such great works died, to be no more. They were for a season but their time was over. The buildings that housed many of these wonderful works of God’s past spiritual movements may remain, but the people are gone.
How sad to see God strip these great men and women of God instead of them allowing Him to work a willingness to lay down what God was no longer doing. This continues to occur now in this Day of the Lord, as the great church era of two thousand years comes to a close. Many works will lay as a pile of ashes at their feet while leaders blame the devil.
Such is the work of the Lord, not the enemy! Jesus told His disciples:
“I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” Luke 12:49-50 Berean
Jesus experienced this baptism by fire to accomplish what He was called and chosen to do. He accepted the change in His ministry in Gethsemane. He changed the entire world by the faithfulness He displayed in His calling. He had to leave many things that surely were enjoyable and meaningful in His earthly life and ministry, facing a cruel death at a young age in order to do all He was sent to do.
It is sad when we continue in our same beloved work long past the time that God has moved on. Without the holy spirit’s leading and presence, it is as dead as those works that are no more. Any human way to attempt to avoid obedience to God only extends our suffering and loss in the transition from the old to the new. Our eventual surrender becomes much more difficult because, for those who are called, chosen, and faithful, God will have His way.
It’s particularly hard when He directs us to let go of a dream we thought He gave us that is no longer bearing fruit, or perhaps never did. We may have sadness and grief as a period of ministry, a cherished time of work and fellowship, a hoped-for future, ends in our lives. Obedient surrender, however, brings rest, peace, and an anticipation of the next door He will open. Endings are new beginnings in God.
Think of all the endings in the Bible that opened the way for new beginnings for His people! God is with us throughout, showing us the path of life. When God’s people traveled through the wilderness, He guided them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
“The [presence of the] Lord was going before them by day in a pillar (column) of cloud to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light so that they could travel by day and by night.” Exodus 13:21 Amplified
Every time the cloud by day or the fire by night moved, the people had to pick up, pack up, and move on. No matter that this spot in the desert was really nice and they wanted to enjoy it longer. And they surely did complain along the way! In Exodus, we read about their travels out of Egypt, the land of bondage, to the Promised Land. They complained and rebelled so much that they nearly wore their leader, Moses, out! Surely the transition from the familiar “leeks and garlic” in Egypt to the promised “land of milk and honey” they’d never seen was a challenging as well as remarkable transition from the old to the new.
The most vital and dramatic ending that is a new beginning is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. His earthly ministry ended in death, bringing a new beginning through His resurrection. He brought an end to the old Jewish ways of worship and tradition, ushering in a New Covenant of the Heart. Oh, how the Jews of His day fought Him, resented Him, and were angry that He was a threat to their traditions and laws.
The disciples did not understand the ending of this wonderful time with Jesus, either. They were lost and undone by the tragic crucifixion of their beloved Lord. What a painful time that must have been! Though Jesus tried to tell them what God’s plan was, they did not understand and could not see by the spirit what He was predicting. They wanted to stay walking with Him, learning from Him, continuing not only in their fellowship but also being a part of His ministry.
Who wouldn’t love being with Jesus, a part of His earthly ministry? Such exciting and wonderful days they were, learning and growing, seeing the power of God manifested before their eyes. And then, suddenly, it was done. But Jesus, the Perfect Son, knew from the beginning that it would only be for a season that He would be on this earth. Yet He had great compassion on the disciples, indeed all of His followers, who thought it would always be the way it was until, hopefully, Jesus ruled over the Romans who held the Jews in captivity.
God’s endings bring new beginnings, but they, like us, did not know how much better for everyone it would be when Jesus was able to be with all people through His resurrection from the dead. This was a new thing, never seen before! Jesus changed everything for everyone, not just those who were around Him for those few years. Aren’t you glad that Jesus laid down His life and earthly ministry for all of us, that He surrendered in the Garden of Gethsemane, being faithful to God’s will for His calling?
For Jesus, as for us, such times of transition from the old to the new are hard on our flesh. We may long for former days, the old ways, the comfort of the familiar. This is one reason some stay in relationships with others that are so unhealthy and damaging to them. It may be hell, but it is a “familiar hell” compared to the unknown. How difficult it is to move on from what we know to the unknown!
One of the most difficult transitions in this life is the death of our loved ones. The loss of a parent, spouse, or beloved child destroys many dreams and hopes, robbing us of the future we had anticipated was ours. While it is a new beginning for those who have passed on into the spirit, we are forced to find a new path, a different life, without them, with our lives forever changed by their absence. God remains willing to answer our prayers for Him to show us the path of life after such powerfully painful losses. He faithfully builds something new within and for us.
Some Christians who suffer loss of loved ones in tragic ways often are given ministries to comfort and assist others who are suffering similar losses. The very events we think will disqualify, if not destroy us, He uses as we submit to Him, fittingly prepared for our calling in His kingdom. God’s next work for us is just around the bend in this river of life!
Our future in God as we follow along is more glorious, always, but the changes He allows along the way are often unexpected, surprising and difficult. It’s not always a glorious new work that He leads us into, at least not right away. He may lead us into the wilderness, for a season, alone, in a desert of our spiritual lives. To add to our pain and loss, our Christian brothers and sisters who no longer see us in fellowship think we are backslidden!
Times of transition can be lonely and painful, just as the disciples experienced in the months following Jesus’ death and resurrection. They did not have a vision of what God would bring about through them, particularly without their Leader and beloved Teacher. They could not discern His plan and purpose until He returned to them by the spirit, on the Day of Pentecost.
We, His servants, also may feel alone and abandoned by God, as well as other people. No one can go through these times fully with us other than God. To Him we cling, as He is the source of life. Who else can we go to for that? As we saw with Israelites whose bondage in Egypt became increasingly horrific but, once in the wilderness, Egypt was remembered fondly, even longed for by many.
They had left a living hell and yet how difficult it was to trust that where they were going would be worth it. In spite of all the miracles and victories God had granted in freeing them, Moses had quite the time with their rebellion along the way! The trip was difficult and they had no vision of the land promised to them. The miracles of deliverance God had done to free them from this bondage faded in their memories, while complaints and rebellion rose in most.
Are we any different when God says “Move on!”? Here we are, busily and joyfully fulfilling our calling and God begins to dry it up, no more anointing, eventually wiping the current path out. He allows those we love most to be taken from our lives, ending cherished relationships by cut off or death. He changes what we thought was our future to what His plan for our future is to be. He may do so abruptly, shockingly, or gradually over time, but surely change is a part of life for His called, chosen and faithful servants.
God is making new paths for our feet. We may not understand our current time in our calling, why it may be ending, or have a vision of what will be next. He can reveal these tings to us by the spirit, in a vision or dream, or by telling us directly, but sometimes He does not. We just have to put our hand in His and walk together until He shows us more. These are times when trusting God for good becomes most challenging—and strengthening!
God gave me a song years ago about this:
Jesus Hold My Hand
Jesus hold my hand. You’ve been this way before.
Jesus hold my hand, and the storms will rage no more.
Jesus, you said you’d always care for me.
Jesus, teach me to be free.
When the storms of life surround me and I don’t know what to do,
Jesus, please be with me, show me Your way through.
Teach me where You’d have me walk, show me how to be
Keep my hand in your hand, teach me to be free.
I can’t see, I don’t know, and I do not understand
All your will, all your ways for living in this land.
When I’m lost and alone and I don’t know what to do
Show me your way through.
Jesus hold my hand. You’ve been this way before.
Jesus hold my hand, and the storms will rage no more.
Jesus, you said you’d always care for me.
Jesus, teach me to be free.
(B. Mikelson 1980)
Before He gave me this song, I did not realize or understand that we all must be taught to be free in Him. Jesus Christ has gone through all that we might face and more. He knows we will encounger those who want to limit our liberty in Him by man’s rules and laws established in the traditions of Christian religion. But Jesus Christ, through our spiritual walk with Him, is always teaching us to be free. We are to be free of sin from our fleshly ways, our heritage and earthly identity, our past, and all the rules and regulations that fail to make us righteous.
We are to be like the Israelites of old, who were to move on at God’s direction. God may even have to withdraw His presence, His anointing, and His blessing to get us to move on to the future He has planned. It is always more glorious, more blessed than what we have had or what we could imagine. He desires a people after His own will, not a continuance of hollow habits that are not serving Him from a heart of submission and willingness.
Now is such a time in God. His people all over the world have had much joy and fellowship working in His fields in the church realm. But now, He is causing a move in the spirit, can you sense it? While everything in the world is worsening, God is surely on the scene to move us on in Him. It is the Day of the Lord and the time for God to do a new thing. Shall we not know it?
“Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming.
Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 Berean
How we long to witness and experience the ways in the wilderness He is making, to see the streams of His living water flow out to all people of the earth in all the dry desert places, to see that rose blooming there! We do not need to dwell on the past. We learn from the past but should not long for it, recalling past experiences with yearning to return.
As we read His word, there are many wonderful examples from which we may learn, despite the years, even centuries, that separate our ordained paths in God. We see the chosen and made faithful in Him. There are coming new streams of water from His throne within His own, meant to flow out to all from His called, chosen, and faithful in this hour. Our future in Him will have everyone in the army of God, none breaking ranks, each satisfied and joyful in the part God has given.
What a work this will be and how desperately this world of darkness needs His Light!