In Turkey we met a lot of new believers and believers that could express their faith openly for the first time (religious refugees). Many of them asked us how to pursue God, how to serve Him, and how to feel more power of the Holy Spirit. This sermon was delivered to them as encouragement, to be content in the Spirit and know that He is with us.
Christians often feel that we need more God before we are able to do His will; that we need more knowledge, more Holy Spirit, or more signs from Him to know we will be successful in our service to Him. This is a pretty common theme of people in general – we don’t take on new tasks until we believe we are best suited for success. In most fields, this is probably wise, but it isn’t how God works.
How many times have we tried or wanted to do God’s will but found ourselves lacking knowledge, presence of the Holy Spirit, or signs of confirmation? And in how many of these instances have we prayed for each of these?
What are we really asking for, though? Confidence and comfort. Because we are unwilling to submit ourselves to God, we doubt ourselves because of our own abilities. We are asking God for encouragement, to let us know He needs us.
Submission to God looks like unyielding trust, obedience, and dedication. The Bible doesn’t teach that God requires two years of Bible college plus a year of ministry experience before we’re qualified to teach people about Him; we impose prerequisites on ourselves because we are focused on ourselves. Instead, the Bible teaches that those with a heart for God are His; that in Jesus Christ, we are sons and daughters of God – with whom He is pleased.
“The meek shall inherit the earth” (meaning shall have dominion over His lands) is a statement Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount; the beatitudes essentially lay-out the new “law” and God’s expectations of us. Meek, in this context, most likely means “gentle” or “soft” – those with a soft heart will become advantageous tools of God; God will use them for His successes. It isn’t the powerful, nor academics, nor politicians that God chose to be His leaders. It was people with soft, gentle hearts of the Spirit. In fact, God frequently chose people of no authority to be His leaders.
Moses
– A Hebrew child in an Egyptian family should have no place in the court either by lineage or appointment; however, he was chosen by God to lead His people out of oppression in Egypt.
– When speaking to God, Moses asked “who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” God didn’t explain, but instead answered “I will be with you.” Moses went on to carry out miracles and lead the Israelites into the promised land.
Aaron
– High priest; typically hereditary, instead, assigned by Moses.
– A Hebrew raised by Hebrews, has no authority in the Egyptian court what-so-ever. Aaron spoke for Moses in front of Pharaoh and brought on the first three plagues against Egypt.
David
– A young shepherd recognized as a musician rather than a shepherd that would later become King.
– Out of 42 kings of Israel and Judah, David was 1 of only 5 kings that did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
The Nation of Israel
– Condemned by God for their sins, but God continuously promised their salvation and deliverance.
– God used them to begin outreach to gentiles; to return the lands to God’s Kingdom.
We can’t know what we will be used for, only that God will use us. Isaiah 49:1-6 presents us with the conversation commonly had between ourselves and God.
(1) Listen to me, O coastlands, and give me attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. (2) He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. (3) And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” (4) But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God. (5) And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him- for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength- (6) he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:1-6 ESV)
Here Isaiah is acknowledging that before he was born, God already had a plan for him; that before he was born, God had already made him into two distinctly different tools (weapons) for His Kingdom. First, the sword – a short distance weapon, made for intimate battle in close proximity to your opponent; hidden in the palm of the wielder’s (God’s) hand to be used in stealth at a later time. Second, a polished arrow – a long range weapon, kept in a quiver until required; laying in wait, well-prepared for battle.
God goes on to state we are His servants, that He will be glorified by us, but we argue just as Isaiah does – we feel that our efforts are in vain. We spend our strength but for nothing because it is out of our own efforts and our own strength.
Isaiah continues only to realize we are created to bring His people back to Him, that we are honored in the eyes of the Lord, and God has become our strength.
God responds that it is too little for us only to bring His people back to Him, but that He will use us to minister to all nations, to bring His salvation to all people.
We will be used for God’s fight, for God’s Kingdom. God is clear that we are formed for Him, that we may bring His people back to His kingdom; God will make us a light for all the nations to know Him. The only thing this has to do with us is that we will be witness to it; this is God’s show.
So how do we let go of ourselves? How do we gain confidence to do His will? Ask for it. Ask to be filled with the Spirit; to be baptized in the Spirit. Ask for guidance, then listen. Write down what you hear, continue to pray, continue to ask. But through it all, understand that we are not in the driver’s seat. We don’t choose when and how we serve, and furthermore, we don’t choose if we understand or not. Remember we can be created for different purposes at different times – a short range weapon, and a long range weapon, each to be used differently and at different times.
Find encouragement in that if you don’t feel that God is using you now, or you feel you aren’t ready to be used by Him, he has already prepared you for battle, it simply hasn’t come yet.
