What does it mean to be available to the Lord?

What does it mean to be ready and willing to say “yes” to His calling on your life? Does that mean we leave everything and go off to become missionaries?

Sometimes.

I have two dear friends, wonderful but ordinary women with families and responsibilities and busy, full lives, who are both serving the Lord overseas. He called and they answered. Watching them say “yes” to God left me a bit breathless. One went to Africa for a year so her husband could serve as a doctor in a rural village. The other went through years of training to become a missionary and is still continuing language studies, now in Thailand.

Was there anything special about these two women and their husbands? Did they stand out in a crowd? Was there a unique spiritual glow about them? A sort of halo? No. Like many women in my church, they love the Lord. They work with children Sunday school classes. They pray and attend Bible studies. They laugh and cry and deal with the mundane chores of life.

What they did do, however, was say “YES” to the Lord. When He called them, they were available. Did they fuss and cry and worry and say, a thousand times, “how do we do this”? Absolutely. But in the end, they walked in faith and obeyed God’s call.

I think about them and what it means to listen for God’s call. In my busy, bustling household, it takes a loud voice to be heard.

“Mom?”
“I’m in the mud room, I can’t hear you.”
“Mom…mumble, mumble, mumble,” children screaming, running feet.
“I said I CAN’T hear you! Come in here if you want to talk to me.”
Washer and dryer both running. Bathroom faucet splashing everywhere. Phone ringing. Computers clanging.

I can barely hear myself think, much less hear a call from the Lord. Sometimes, however, I think I’m waiting for a BIG, LOUD, DRAMATIC message from God. When that doesn’t come, I sigh and gather my things (usually laundry) and go on about my business, feeling somehow less worthy or less spiritual than those who are off serving God in foreign countries or in important ministries.

But what does it mean to be available to God? Are His calls only loud and booming, filled with drama? What about the quiet requests? What about the ordinary ones? Are these somehow less significant to God?

How about the announcement for the prayer meetings, all week, for the Easter services? Do I applaud and think, “It’s so wonderful that our church believes in prayer. I sure hope people go and pray.” Do I sit back and admire the “prayer warriors” in the church and marvel at their spiritual mightiness?

I wonder if being available to serve God, to be In His Service, means saying “yes” to little things, the things all around me. If perhaps it isn’t all flashy and exotic (filled with foreign sights and sounds) but is often simple steps of discipline. It’s inconvenient and time consuming to go to prayer meetings. Oh, the first one is great. There’s music and singing and a good crowd. But the next night, how many people come? What about the next? Or the next?

If I sit around waiting for a “Grand and Mighty Call from the Lord” and never listen for His quiet, still voice, what does that say about my faith and my walk? Why would I think God would give me an important, significant job if I’m not willing to take little steps? Do I say “yes” to the little bits of work He gives me. Is my default answer, “no” when people come to me with a need?

Tonight the phone rang. It was late (after 10:30 pm) which is never a good sign. My mind immediately thought of family or friends who might be in distress. In college, people would call at all hours of the day and night. In polite, grown up life most people don’t call after 9 pm. I guess we all have to get up for work or children and be responsible and all that.

It was M. on the phone. She was calling with an urgent need for help. Her friend was in the middle of a bad situation and she needed to go and pick her up. She asked me if I would go with her. It was late. I was tired. I already had my contacts out and my teeth brushed. I had stayed up late the night before and only gotten 6 plus hours of sleep. I had a bunch of computer work to do. And on and on. I didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“Yes.”

“You can! Oh, thank you!” Poor M. was so flustered and in the of the crisis that it took her a few minutes to figure out I could best help. Finally she decided her husband would go with her to pick up the friend (and her car) if I would stay home with her kids.

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” I told her. “I have my shoes and sweatshirt on and am walking out the door.”

M. knew I am a night owl. She knew I would be awake. She hoped I would be available to help. Such a little thing for me to do and yet it enabled her to do a bigger thing which reaches out to touch (and maybe save) another person’s life. Ripples of significance stemming from obedience to God.

We won’t know the impact our little yes’s have for the kingdom of heaven until we walk with Jesus there. I want to live a life that hears the quiet AND the loud voice of the Lord and, more importantly, obeys. I want to become more and more practiced in the spiritual disciplines so God can use me.

“Yes, Lord, send me.”

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Matthew 25:29

Kathy

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We’re studying Romans in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) this year.

Sarah comes with me to BSF.

This week the entire lesson was on the first two verses in Romans 12 (I know, it’s a heady pace but I’m trying to keep up). I’ve been thinking a great deal about the passage – I can do this because it’s only two verses, anything longer and my brain crumbles under the weight of my multi-tasking life.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1

Someone doesn’t feel well.

One question from the lesson particularly stood out:

How do people offer their bodies as living sacrifices to God today?

Tim and I discussed this question at length this evening. We talked about the idea of sacrifice and how the Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). Christ came down and lived as a sacrifice for us. At first I wasn’t sure how I could offer my body as a sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. The verse in Romans says it is my spiritual act of worship.

David hurt Sarah’s arm and did push ups as part of his punishment.

Sarah watched the Punishment Push-ups closely, being sure to point out her wounded arm.

In talking with Tim, I began to see how denying myself is a part of this sacrifice. Death to self. I say no to my desire to overeat, to ignore my children, to sleep all day. I lay down my selfish desires in order to serve God and my family. Every day there are choices that I make that require sacrifice. The Bible says these choices are holy and pleasing to God. When I deny myself and obey God’s Word, I am worshipping Him.

Acts of spiritual worship. When I go through the mundane tasks of my day (and there are many days full of repetitive, unexceptional chores) with a thankful heart, my hands are offered up as a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. He sees the small (and not so small) yielding and surrendering of my heart and life. It is convicting. My body – the actions I take, thoughts I dwell upon, words I speak – should bring glory to God.

As I finished this paragraph a song came on that I didn’t recognize. There was a long musical interlude between verses that was a bit cacophonous so I decided to switch to something else. Just before I did the phrase, “living sacrifice,” caught my attention. Sure enough, the song was Romans 12:1, by Todd Agnew from his Grace Like Rain cd. I’ve listened to this album dozens of times and never noticed this song before. I still don’t like the melody around the verses, but the words of the chorus struck me so powerfully I played it over several times:

“Jesus, we come to worship you. Jesus, we come to lift You high. Jesus, we come to honor You. With our lives. Father we come to You humbly, recognizing Your infinite glory.”

Isn’t that just like the living, all-knowing God to order this song around my blogging. He is so worthy of my praise and sacrifice. I am humbled that He loves me and notices and cares for someone as wretched as I.

I’ll have to leave verse 2 of Romans 12 for tomorrow as it’s late and I’m sacrificing sleep to blog.

Kathy

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