Jeremiah
1:5-7 MKJV Before I formed you in the belly I knew you;
and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (6) Then I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! Behold, I do
not know to speak; for I am a boy. (7) But Jehovah said to me, Do not say, I am a boy; for you shall go to all that I shall
send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
This is where faith
leads you; for your questions go from is God real to does God really love me to
can God use me in spite of all my faults and each step in this growing of your
faith the fingerprints of God can be seen, if you know where to look.
1 Samuel
3:5-10 MKJV And he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I. For you called me. And he said, I did not
call. Go and lie down again. And he went to lie down. (6) And Jehovah called again, Samuel! And Samuel
arose and went to Eli and said, Here am
I, for you called me. And he answered, I did not call, my son. Go back, lie
down. (7) And Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, and the
Word of Jehovah had not yet been revealed to him. (8) And Jehovah called Samuel again, the third
time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Here am
I, for you called me. And Eli saw that Jehovah had called the child. (9) And Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down; and it
shall be, if One calls you, you shall
say, Speak, Jehovah, for Your servant hears. And Samuel went to lie down in his
place. (10) And Jehovah came and stood, and called as at
other times, Samuel, Samuel! Then Samuel answered, Speak, for Your servant
hears.
So often I believe
Jehovah comes near and calls to us but like Samuel we don’t realize who is
calling so we cling to people or things only to find out they do not fill that
God-shaped hole in our hearts but as we draw closer to God through studying His
Word, through constant prayer, and through humbling ourselves before His feet
in worship His Holy Spirit acts like Eli in that He shows us that it is not
these things or individuals calling us but God Himself and our response to Him
is to be, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.”
Something significant
happens once you cross this threshold in your life… you begin to see God in
everything. Every day conversations are no longer about you as much as it is
about what God is doing through you to speak to others. At the end of the day
you ask God why something went the way it did and He reveals to you things that
remind you He is God, He is in control, and like Jeremiah you see God has sent
you places and God used you as His vessel to pour out His message of love to
someone. It’s these times in your life that your faith grows exponentially and
you, at least for a while or as long as your faith allows it, stay in a state
of amazement and awe of what God is capable of, even through a broken vessel
such as yourself.
You see you can never
return to where you came from because God has ruined you for any lesser love. A
place where I can see God’s fingerprints in my life is in things that He has
kept from me throughout my life or in things I once enjoyed but are no longer
able to. Now listen carefully, these things were not bad in and of themselves
but I would have tried to fill that God-shaped hole in my heart had God allowed
these things or people to be present. Several years ago I noticed something
very strange, things I said I loved were beginning to be taken from me such as certain
types of food. These foods, in moderation was not bad for me but God showed me
that some part of me I would have given away, some part of me that belonged to
Him and so I have learned to be very selective about saying I “love” certain things
, as a matter of fact I simply won’t do it or if I do checks the Holy Spirit has
placed in my heart go off like warning signals.
This has happened with
people in my life as well. Don’t misunderstand God hasn’t told me not to love
anyone but there was once a girl whom I was sure I would be with for the rest
of my life and even though we only went out on one date I was sure who she was fit
perfectly with who I was but God said, “No.” For a long time I thought a
mistake had been made but I see now God has set me apart for His purpose. Now I
love my wife with everything I have and would lay my life down for her but the
relationship I share with her doesn’t draw me away from God but closer to Him.
I am not saying this other girl would have drawn me away from God had we been
married for she is a beautiful child of God; no what I am saying is that I
would have idolized her and placed her on a pedestal in my heart and therefore
God did what was best for me and for her. The same is true with wealth, I’ve often
wondered why God’s people, the ones He is closest to seem to many times just
have enough but it is for the same reason… God doesn’t want anything coming
between Him and His children and until we learn what has true value and what is
worthy of giving our hearts to things we reach for God will gladly take away.
Like a child reaching for the hot stove and the parent stops them before they
get hurt. Sometimes the child is stubborn, trying many times but eventually the
child begins to understand the father said no because he cares for and loves the
child more than the child could possibly know and so it is with God and His
children.
Where can you see the
fingerprints of God in your life? If you are honest with yourself start with
what you could have easily allowed to take the place of God but instead was mysteriously
taken from you, either abruptly or your interests slowly faded away and see if
God didn’t have something to do with it, look to see if God’s fingerprints aren’t
there. Always remember God’s ways are higher than our ways and we not being
able to see the whole picture must trust God with our very lives. We can choose
to stumble around in the darkness thinking we know what’s best for our own
lives but I choose to trust God knowing my life is not mine at all but instead
His and He knows the plans He has for me when I am young and when I am old therefore
I will serve the Lord all the days of my life.
