God’s Calling

Have you ever wondered what God has in store for your life? Have you ever been afraid He would ask you to do something you didn’t want to do or didn’t think you could accomplish?

When we traveled to Israel in March 2010, our pastor, Ray Crawford, suggested that when we awoke on the first morning of our stay in Netayna, we might want to look to the west across the Mediterranean Sea. He said,

Imagine a boat on the horizon. It is Jonah, trying to escape from God. How would it feel to try and outrun God?

Arising early the next morning before the sun had peeked from behind the clouds, I stepped onto the hotel balcony to inhale the fresh air. My lungs were invigorated by its crispness. A brisk wind blew waves, crashing against the shore. As I looked across an endless horizon, I saw it. A small boat tossed and heaved with each pitch of the rough Mediterranean Sea. I knew who it was. But I also knew he couldn’t escape. It was Jonah, trying to run away from God.

[callout]“Have you ever tried to run away from God?” [/callout]

I have. He won’t leave you alone, until like Jonah, you realize it is futile. I argued with God and tried to avoid him for years. Within two months of retiring from teaching, God led me to leave the community I had lived in for 30 years and move to another where I knew less than 10 people. If I had not listened but kept running, I wouldn’t be using my gift of writing and speaking today to glorify Him.

Without God’s continual nudging, I would not have begun my writing ministry. (Actually, I think He had to finally hit me over the head with a 2 x 4 to get my attention.) With His guidance, I have been able to write one 500-word column each week since November 2005. When other Christian writers ask how I manage to do that each week, I reply, “As long as God provides the inspiration, I can provide the perspiration.”

While I don’t really sweat when I write, if I don’t pray for His guidance before I began to put my fingers on the keyboard, I struggle to make the words flow into the message I feel him leading me to write. It’s much easier to write when you know He is guiding your heart, your thoughts and your words.

What is God calling you to do?

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Gerald Shuler

I read some of your articles and would like to put them in a Christian Newspaper that I publish in Sapulpa, OK. How would I go about getting permission to use your writing each month? The paper is Times of Praise Christian Newspaper.

Carol Round

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