Reluctant

Many of the people we encounter in the Bible, called by God to serve in some way, responded positively, even eagerly. Noah and Abram both obeyed without complaint when the Lord’s command turned their lives completely upside down. Hannah eagerly gave her son to the Lord’s service. David volunteered wholeheartedly to face Goliath. Nehemiah volunteered to rebuild Jerusalem. Isaiah said, “I’m here, send me!” Mary said, “I’m the Lord’s servant. Let it be for me as you say.”

But there were others who weren’t so eager, were in fact reluctant to answer the call. Moses pleaded he was inarticulate. Gideon scoffed at being called a “mighty man”, and pleaded weakness. Esther feared for her life if she approached the king. Jeremiah pleaded he was too young. Sarah laughed at the promise, given her age. Zechariah the father of John the Baptist did the same.

We don’t get called to the Lord’s service as dramatically as these were. But we are called. So do we respond with eagerness or with reluctance? For most of us it’s probably both. Certainly is for me. Sometimes I’m volunteering or accepting. Other times I’d rather just duck.

Here’s the thing. None of those doubtful ones got away with their attempted evasion. The Lord didn’t take no for an answer. He had a job for them. The most extreme example is Jonah: his attempt to run away did not get him out of the job. I guess none of us would think of ourselves as called in the way Jonah was, or Sarah, or Moses, or Gideon. Their objections were directly swept away by God. But we can, and sometimes do, say no—and in this age there’s no direct override from God.

When there’s work for the Lord to be done, I think we’re often in the same sort of situation Esther was in. Mordecai’s counsel to her could easily be directed toward us:

“Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14)

To paraphrase into our own situation: “Don’t think that by ducking the job you’ll have things easier. If you don’t step up the Lord will find someone else, but your eternal life will be in jeopardy, and you could also harm others. Don’t you think the Lord brought you to this precisely so you can serve in this way?”

The Lord overrode all the objections of all those reluctant ones. Think about it. Don’t you think He can override your objections? Age, inarticulateness, weakness, just not wanting to—all these can be dealt with by God. He’s proven it. To their credit, all these reluctant ones ended up trusting the overrides.

The point for us is pretty obvious. Excuses because of inadequacy, or even just not feeling like it, aren’t good enough for God. Therefore shouldn’t be what we settle for either. The Lord’s work is right in front of us. If you feel eager, great! Go to it! If you feel reluctant, well that’s OK, and actually you’re in good company. If you go ahead and take the job.

Love, Paul