The Called

Isaiah 49:1-2 (Amp)

49 Listen to Me, O islands and coastlands,
And pay attention, you peoples from far away.
The Lord has called Me from the womb;
From the body of My mother He has named Me.
² 
He has made My mouth like a sharp sword,
In the shadow of His hand He has kept Me hidden;
And He has made Me a sharpened arrow,
In His quiver He has hidden Me.

When we were younger, me and my brother were always working on something. Or actually a better description of it was “destroying something”. We would tear apart the lawnmower, try to build a go-cart, build a tree house from all of dad’s scrap lumber. If it was laying around, we used it for something. My brother got into fixing up cars and naturally I was drawn in also. I would come help for hours at a time under the eye of Danny, my brother in law now. He would instruct us on how to put Bondo on or help us fix or rebuild an engine. Most days we would leave the shop with nothing to show accept for sore hands and a pile of engine parts or body parts with patches of Bondo. It was hard to see exactly what we were doing and even harder to see the finished product. I left to go to college and my brother stayed and built the most impressive 32 Ford coupe that resembled the one Harrison Ford drove in the movie American Graffiti.

Isaiah is writing down what the Lord is giving him. For all of you who are on the fence as to when the Lord says a baby is a baby and is called by the Lord then read the verses above. This series of verses in chapter 49 is about the church but it is clear that what the Lord says, “The Lord has called Me from the womb: from the body of my mother He has named me.” This is great news because now you know that you are not a mistake! You were not a random act of passion but a child of God that has been called from heaven to bless this earth with what the Lord has given you. Yes, you are a priceless pearl that the Lord gave His only son so that you could be in heaven with Him.

Verse 2 tells us that the Lord has made our mouths like a sharp sword and He has kept us hidden under the shadow of His hand. He is sharpening you and the Lord has hidden you in His quiver. Can I just say that your words matter. Your testimony, your story, your battles and trials, all of it in the master’s hand are meant to refine you and help your fellow brother or sister in their time of need. They may be in rough shape and unrefined but your story will fill them with hope.

Today, if you are one of those people who feel cast away and unusable then put your chin up. The Lord called you before you were even born to be a light in this dark world. You have been heavenly fashioned for the Lord and His will. Nothing the enemy can scar you with will even make your witness null and void. On the contrary, the Lord will use all of our sufferings to further His kingdom. He is the potter, we are the clay and in His hands we will be fashioned and used as a light that points only to Jesus.

I left for college and my brother stayed an extra two years in Danny’s garage and what he made was incredible. I could not see it. I left when the Bondo was still wet and engine was in parts. Don’t choose to leave too soon while the Lord is working on you. Don’t fall back into that sin, don’t let Satan have foothold in your life. The Lord is not finished yet. The next time we entered the garage we saw the 32 Ford coupe all colored with red circles telling us that it was not perfect yet. We would grab the D8 sander and a new can of Bondo and get to work. He is not finished with you yet. He has called you before you were born. He is not done yet. The master is circling the parts that need to be smoothed out. Don’t fight the process because He can see the end result.

Prayer: Father, often times all that we see are the mistakes and failures. I know you see us differently. You see us through the blood of Jesus, perfect. Help us to understand that we are not a mistake and that we belong to you Lord for your work. In Jesus name I pray, amen.