On A Mission For Jesus By: Amanda Ball-Knight
Isaiah and Jeremiah were both called by God. Though each had a very different response, ultimately Isaiah and Jeremiah both surrendered to God and fulfilled their callings. In Isaiah chapter 6, Isaiah had a vision where he saw seraphim surrounding God on the throne. The seraphim sang of God’s holiness, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts” (vs. 3). Then the mighty voice of God was heard by Isaiah, causing him to confess that he was a sinner and unworthy to stand before God. Because of God’s amazing grace and mercy, He cleansed Isaiah! God then called for a messenger. Isaiah responded, “Here am I, send me.” (vs. 8). When Isaiah put his whole heart and trust in God, he willingly responded to the call of God. Jeremiah’s calling demonstrates that God can call anyone. Remember God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. In Jeremiah chapter one, God speaks to Jeremiah, telling him that He knew him even before he was formed in his mother’s womb. God formed Jeremiah (and us) and called him for a great work and purpose. Jeremiah responded, “I cannot speak: for I am a child.” God encouraged Jeremiah and let him know that He will always be with him to deliver him. Jeremiah then answered the call. Often we demonstrate Isaiah and Jeremiah’s responses to the call of God. If the calling is what we want to do, or simple and manageable, we tend to be like Isaiah and say,
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“Here am I, send me.” If the calling is scary and requires more faith and trust in Christ we tend to respond like Jeremiah with an excuse: I’m too old/young, I do not do well in that area, I have too much on my plate, I’m just one person, etc. When God calls us, He is looking for our availability, not our ability. It is essential, no matter the calling God has placed upon our lives, that we surrender to Him wholly and fully knowing He will never leave us or forsake us! God has called and ordained us each to be a disciple for Him. How will you respond? Meet Maggye, a thirteen-year-old disciple of Christ and daughter of author Amanda and Rev Joe Knight. Maggye’s birth story is a bit of a scary feat. During some routine prenatal blood work, the physician found my lab work to be completely abnormal; an ultrasound was then ordered confirming our worst fears…there was no fetal heartbeat. After much grieving and prayer, we soon found that our prayers were answered because follow-up testing and a repeat ultrasound revealed a healthy fetal heartbeat. Praises were sent straight to the Master! Our excitement though was soon met with fear again as the enemy continued to try and destroy Maggye. Throughout my pregnancy I spent countless days (weeks and months) in the hospital related to complications and preterm labor. Maggye was finally was delivered by an emergency
