SHINE--Calling and Timing

In reading the Christmas story in Luke this December, I was struck by many things...mostly relating to calling:

• God's tenderness to Mary in taking time to explain what He was up to by sending Jesus through her (God choosing her calling based on who He had made her to be and communicating it to her)


• Mary's response to God--abandoned trust (surrender to the call out of love for Him)


• Elizabeth's miraculous pregnancy so the two women could encourage one another when the world may not have understood God's hand on their lives (comradery in the midst of the call)


• Zechariah declaring that his son, John, would be called a prophet of the Most High (another calling that took decades to fulfill)

As Christians scripture teaches we have been called of God to know Him, to live for Him, to be transformed into people of His kingdom in this fallen world...to declare He reigns basically! However, as seen in the Christmas story there is also a specific calling placed on our lives. One that only each individual can fulfill. The calling is unique and speaks to your heart...only you and God can wrestle through what it is that He is prompting. We can try different things but ultimately a picture will weave together that thrills your heart, is based on some gifting or set of experiences and honestly will feel bigger than yourself---think of virgin Mary, barren Elizabeth and the infant John! This is where we MUST draw increasingly near Him who is the giver and blesser of the call and not just focus on the call (or it becomes self seeking or a quick trip to burnout). We need Him desperately so we journey with Him to be refined, encouraged and refreshed, to grow in trusting Him, to seek His counsel, to see how He raises up comrades to accomplish the calling, etc. Don't expect others to always understand your calling as it might not be written in their hearts. That's ok, we should celebrate all the expressions of His Spirit. Here are some examples of callings I've seen in others lives: adoption of special needs children, gardening to provide fresh vegetables for others and spacious places for others to refresh, leading small groups to walk with God, helping others to decorate their homes within a tight budget so their dreams can be fulfilled, spoken or written words that encourage, teach or strengthen, leading others in worship, being a prayer warrior, hosting exchange students...To accomplish your calling means you need to be aware of it, fight for it and honestly guard it, in the sense of saying no to opportunities that might compete for time and energy in order to be available for that which God is doing in and through you.

So being aware of calling is half the story. The other half is timing!! John is a great example of this. His father prophesied his calling (Luke 1:76-77) at his birth which means he was probably aware of it his WHOLE life--what pressure! Yet what I find interesting is Luke 1:80 "And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel." Much can be gleaned regarding calling, the most important of which is preparation. John grew--physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. He became strong in spirit--I have to assume this means communed deeply with God as the true source of strength. He grew up in an odd place, the desert! However, this allowed him to be single focused and matured---walking with God in harsh conditions I'm sure did much for his heart regarding trusting God for sustenance, protection and companionship (remember his parents were very old when he was born, so its likely they died and he was living in the desert alone). John was willing to be trained in the desert and WAITED for God's timing to fulfill his calling. Luke 3:2-3 says, "during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John...He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

At the right time God prompted John to get going and how to fulfill his calling. So John went out with God's authority at the prefect time and started offering his calling...to prepare the way of the Lord! The harsh years in the desert prepared his character and relationship with God to help him stand in a hostile culture and offer salvation. Praise God for his calling, his waiting, his obedience, his offering, his message and ultimately the salvation that comes through Jesus...the whole point of a calling--that Jesus would be lifted high and others drawn to Him so His victorious kingdom advances one heart at a time, one offering at a time, one calling at a time in HIS timing!

What or who has God placed on your heart?? Ask Him...wait upon Him...then "arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you! (Is. 60:1) The darkness desperately needs your Light, His Light in you, freely and uniquely offered!