Were It Not for the Call

It had been nine months since I had left my last pastorate, and I was well into the search for a next assignment. I had mailed countless résumés and followed up on all inquiries, but to no avail.

Not one other pastor called with a word of encouragement, or to find out if we were making it alright, or just to let us know they were praying for us. At times it felt as though the “heavens were as iron,” as if my prayers seemed to be just echoing from the ceiling. As David said in Psalm 73, “My feet came close to stumbling; my steps had almost slipped. . . . Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; for I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning” (vs. 2, 13-14, NASB).

I knew exactly what David was talking about and how he felt. I began to wonder if I had missed God’s call. Had the marvelous manifestations of the Spirit of God that I had experienced over the last thirty years been a mirage? Had God abandoned me for some reason, or put me on the shelf for something I had done? All of these thoughts were going through my mind day after day, night after night.

The Importance of the Call

One day I called a dear friend to ask his advice. He asked how things were going, and I told him of my dilemma. But rather than humoring me or trying to soothe my hurting heart with a litany of pious phrases and trite sentiments, he said, “Wayne, sometimes all you have left is the call!”

This was a Proverbs 25:11 moment for me, “a word fitly spoken,” because at that moment, “the call” was all I had left. And had it not been for that “call” upon my life, I probably would have quit the ministry. In fact, I had already applied for work with several Christian organizations as well as with some commercial businesses and companies. But each time I would consider those options, the Holy Spirit would prompt me to remember my calling and to simply trust in Him.

Calling in the Bible  

I began to think about God’s call upon the lives of other men in the Bible, especially those who were called to proclaim God’s Word—and the suffering they endured as a result of their obedience to that call. And the examples began to flood my mind:

1. Noah. The man who could perhaps be called the first preacher in the Bible proclaimed God’s Word for 120 years while he and his family built an ark in obedience to God’s call. Not only did the people disregard his message, they discounted him as a man who had lost his mind. The Bible says that as a result of Noah’s preaching only eight persons were brought safely through the water (1 Peter 3:20).

I believe Noah is representative of those pastors who have preached their heart out for years without seeing much fruit for their labor. Perhaps they are serving in rural areas where the population is sparse, or in highly populated areas where there is little respect for God’s Word. I’m sure there were days when Noah thought about hanging it up because no one cared about what he was saying, much less about what he was doing. And, had it not been for the call of God upon his life, he probably would have.

2. Moses. Miraculously called of God to deliver the Hebrews from their bondage in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land, he still experienced repeated rebellions against his leadership.

Moses serves as a picture of those pastors who serve large congregations. Having been on staff with several of these pastors over the years, I have seen the heartache and frustration these men go through at times just to keep unity and harmony in the fellowship. And no matter how much they accomplished, it seemed it was never enough—there was always something left undone, or someone who was overlooked.

I’m sure there were days when Moses would rather have been on the backside of the desert tending sheep than serving as the leader of such obstinate people. And, had it not been for God’s call upon his life, he probably would have.

3. Abraham. Called of God to leave his homeland and to become the father of many nations, he was also called to take his only son, Isaac, and offer him as a sacrifice as an evidence of his unquestionable obedience to God.

Abraham illustrates those pastors who have forsaken family members in their desire to follow God. Many pastors rarely, if ever, get to attend their family reunions because the majority of them are on Sunday. Some of them aren’t able to help take care of their aging parents, and neither were their parents able to be a part of their grandchildren’s lives. Others have buried their children on the field of service because they could not obtain adequate medical care. Sometimes the sacrifice is more than they bargained for.

Of course we know that as Abraham brought that knife down upon Isaac, God provided a substitute. But I can imagine, as the two of them were walking up that mountain, the thought ran through Abraham’s mind to disobey God and save his son. And, had it not been for the call upon his life, he probably would have.

4. Jeremiah. God told him to preach whatever He revealed to him, without question, and to even act out some of his sermons before the people. He also told him that the people would not listen, that they would cover their ears as they walked by him—and they did.

Jeremiah represents all those pastors who are preaching to those who are deaf; not because they cannot hear, but because they will not hear. Each Saturday night they pour their heart out before God in prayer for their people, that God would open their ears and let them hear the Word of truth. And each Sunday they preach their heart out, hoping against hope that this would be the day when the Holy Spirit would be able to break through and they could see a great revival in their church.

Jeremiah could have saved himself a lot of personal suffering and persecution if he had just thrown up his hands and quit. And, had it not been for the call upon his life, he probably would have.

5. John the Baptist. John was called to preach in the wilderness as he prepared the way for the coming of the Lord. John is quoted as having said, “‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ . . . He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:28-30).

In so doing, John modeled the life of associate pastors whose work is in support of the senior pastor—often a thankless job. As John waited and prayed in his prison cell, I’m sure he thought about the brevity of his ministry, and no doubt wondered if he had done exactly what God had called him to do.

On that morning they came to take him to be beheaded, John may have wished he had stayed in the wilderness and toned down his messages of man’s need for repentance. And, had it not been for the call upon his life, he probably would have.

6. The Apostle John. While the Apostle John had the wonderful privilege of being the nearest to the Lord Jesus, he also was called to endure the severe loneliness of being exiled on the Isle of Patmos. There would be no more pulpits for John; no more intimate conversations with Jesus; no more healing of the sick or raising folks from the dead. All that was left for John was to write his memoirs.

In this, John is a picture of the thousands of pastors who are either retired from the ministry or feel that they are of no value or use anymore. Because of their financial situation, many of them are forced to live in low-rent housing or denominational retirement centers and survive off of their social security income.

Perhaps at times John felt as though life had passed him by. He could have felt like quitting. And, had it not been for the call of God on his life, he probably would have.

            7. Jesus. We know of the suffering and ridicule He received from the very ones He came to save, as well as the ostracizing and shunning He received from those religious leaders who should have not only recognized Him and received Him, but who should have been prepared to worship Him and give Him the glory due His holy name.

Conclusion 

         God’s call upon our lives includes physical, mental, and emotional suffering, and sometimes persecution, loneliness, imprisonment, and even death. And no matter how strong in faith we think we are, there are going to be times when we are going to want to give up, give out, or just give in because the cost seems too high and the sacrifice too great.

It is in these moments that all we have left is the call of God. I urge you to find a garden spot and to agonize in prayer before God the Father, like Jesus did. And after you have prayed, yield yourself anew to God’s call on your life to do with you as He wills.

Once we are sure of our calling, we must rest in that assurance and wait on God’s timing. It is as the Apostle Peter admonished us: “Therefore [let us] humble [ourselves] under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt [us] at the proper time, casting all [our] anxiety on Him, because He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:6-7).