I felt God’s call to the ministry when I was a junior in high school. I went to visit with the pastor of my church about this. I had not told anyone about it, not even my parents. I was too scared. He was very encouraging when we talked, but after our chat I thought to myself, “Okay, I do feel a call to the ministry, but I have to think some more about this before I do anything.”
Several days later, the church newsletter came out. On the front page, the pastor wrote, “Weldon Bares, one of our high school students, came to see me this past week and he shared with me that he has been called to the ministry. Let’s praise God for this and support him.” The church newsletter! To me, this was like the New York Times.
When I got home from school that afternoon, my mother was holding the newsletter in her hands. She was crying and said, “I always believed that you would be a minister.” Well, between the newsletter and my crying mother, that was it. I was going to seminary. I was called, and that was final. There was no thinking about it. There was no turning back.
The Gospel of Luke chapter 9, verse 32 reads like this, “Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” (NIV)
I suppose that God was just making sure that I would not look back. In hindsight, I am so thankful for all of that. I really am. That was God’s call for me.
What about you today? Do you feel God leading you in some direction? In whatever way that God is calling us, may we say along with the prophet in the Old Testament, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)