During my recent trip back to Kenya and traveling down to the village where my parents came from, I heard stories and witnessed the roots of Christianity among my people. I realized that it began with missionaries who received the call to go to these remote villages and bring the Word of the Lord. I began to ponder and think a little deeper about going and coming. You hear the Lord call various people throughout scripture to go and come. We see Abraham being called to go…away from everything he knew (Genesis 12). Moses is then called to come…back to where he came from (Exodus 3). Who should go? Who should come?
I find it interesting that the Lord directs all these paths, steps, and designs. I also find it interesting that it all remains very unpredictable and tough to define. I believe God intended to keep it that way so we would not box up His will and purpose and define it according to our own human understanding.
Responding to the call of God has been one of the most impactful actions individuals can take in order to further the agenda of heaven in the earth. We could take a walk through scripture and name all the expected and unexpected people that were called of God but that has been done before. We could pick one modern day character and describe their qualifications and disqualifications in order to understand the nature of their calling, but that also would be rote.
Instead, we ought to examine ourselves and see the nature of our own calling, the demand on us to sacrifice and give ourselves to the dealings of God, and the places He calls us to go. Jeremiah fought through his age and other limitations and eventually knew the right answer was to say yes! (Jeremiah 1). Isaiah battled through the reality of his humanity in the face of a Holy God, eventually saying he would go (Isaiah 6). Who goes? Who comes?
The common thread I see when reading scripture is the fact that all those who were called of God found themselves in awe of Him. They all had a sense of surprise and bewilderment to some degree. All who were called were almost unaware that they had what it took to do what God was calling them to do and be who He was calling them to be. That’s the nature of the God we serve. As is famously said; “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called”
Will you go? Will you come? It depends on His calling, not our desires. Send me, I’ll go. Call me, I’ll come. You are the great I am!
Nelson Masinde 