"Not called, you say. Not heard the call, I say." William Booth

There she was again, talking about her calling to be a missionary to Zimbabwe. It was like she enjoyed mocking those of us who hadn’t heard God’s voice or seen His hand writing on the wall, or at least that’s the way I felt. I was diligent with my personal time with God. I studied His Word. I went to church, Sunday morning, Sunday night. I went to teen Bible study on Wednesday night and I surrounded myself with Christian friends. What more could I do than to ask, seek, and knock, just like I was doing?

Here’s the thing. I liked to read the Bible in order to reinforce what I wanted to believe, think, and say. I would rally with a verse that said to “Forsake not the gathering together…”, but I would overlook the verses that say to “Go into all the world and make disciples”, or “the Lord has anointed me to preach good news”. I’d suddenly get tired and need some sleep, or maybe thirsty and need a drink.

If this sounds familiar, you may want to avoid the whole book of James, perhaps all of the red words in your Bible, and maybe anything written by Paul. Ok, you might as well read the funnies section of the newspaper because that’s all the good it’s going to do you to try and manipulate God’s inspired words to you and me just to suit your own purposes.

Let me be blatantly clear with you. God has called you. He’s been shaping you; preparing you in such a way that only you can only do what you can do. He’s created you for a specific purpose to reach people just the way He wants. Make no mistake. You’ve experienced everything in your life because He knows how to use it to help others for His glory.

Listen and watch. You’ll see and hear Him in the pleas for help around you. Read Isaiah 61:1-4 and know it's for you.