First of all, while obedience is the correct response to God’s command, the reality is we are his children. And sometimes our response will be childish.
The first time God told me I would be teaching his word, I was already doing something crazy that he told me to do.
A few months earlier, he told me to pack up everything and drive from North Carolina to California where I would stay. I wasn’t ecstatic about the idea of driving cross country alone, with no preparation but I did what he said. As I approached another endless mile of flatlands near Texas, God dropped the nugget about how I would be teaching his Word to new generations of believers. My response ranged from, “I don’t think I heard you right,” to “No. Get somebody else.”
I struggled with how so many people claim God called them to the pulpit. Becoming one of those fame seeking preachers was not attractive to me. The fame I sought after was in the entertainment industry. God had also made promises about my acting career which is what I thought was the whole purpose of this big move. If he wanted me to preach, teach or whatever, couldn’t I do that at home? Why did I have to move all the way across the country to a place where I didn’t know a soul?
Fast Forward
I’ve been teaching at my church in Los Angeles for about ten years. Now, God has shown me a new vision. This one is much bigger than I imagined and I have no idea how it’s going to happen. I thought about when Daniel received a vision from God. What he saw actually made him pass out! (Daniel 8:13-18)
And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up.
~Daniel 8:18 ESV
Our humanity struggles with God’s creativity. He may tell us to do something so far beyond what is conceivable to us. It would be great if we always obeyed immediately without question. But that would be perfection. And we are purposefully, not perfect. When God reveals a seemingly impossible plan, our obedience requires total dependence on him. Remember, God specialized in the impossible.
So when his call knocks you off your feet, it’s ok. Stay there until Holy Spirit helps you up. Then, just listen. Feel what you feel: anxiety, fear, awe. But allow God’s trust in you with his plan to lead your trust in him with your obedience.
Take a look at more of my testimony on how I answered God’s call.