When God calls us into His work, we tend to have objections. Moses said he wasn’t a communicator. Gideon claimed he didn’t have the right status in Israel. Sarah said she was too old. Most of us are quick to think of all the reasons why God shouldn’t use us.
And yet when God calls us into His work, it is never about our qualifications. In fact, God will often call us into things we are not qualified to do because this places the glory on Him and not on us.
The apostle Paul recognized this when he cried out to God to remove a weakness in his life. And God responded by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The weakness of Paul was there so the power of God would be made known in and through Paul.
In the Old Testament we meet a young man who had the opportunity to experience feeling unqualified when God called him to a task that seemed bigger than what he could accomplish.
In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord tells a young Jeremiah, “I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” And Jeremiah responds, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”
Some scholars believe that Jeremiah was between the ages of 13-16 when God called him. Men didn’t enter into the work of a priest until age 25. You could understand why Jeremiah would respond with, “But I am just a kid! How can I do a man’s work?”
Jeremiah probably objected both from a cultural position (boys my age aren’t prophets) and a qualifications position (I haven’t learn to speak and teach yet; I am untrained in this area).
When it comes to the task that God gives us, we tend to have preconceived ideas of what it will humanly take to accomplish this task. And once we have determined that we don’t have those qualifications, we are quick to tell God that He has the wrong person. Whether it is age or education or personality or social status, if it can’t be accomplished with our own ability, then we doubt that it can be accomplished through us at all.
And what happens is we begin to view the Lord’s work from a physical or human perspective. But His work is a supernatural work that requires supernatural ability. This is why in Acts 1:8 the work of being a witness is tied to the power of the Holy Spirit.
The work of God that He calls us into is never based on us. Our one responsibility is obedience.
Listen to how the Lord responded to the objections of a young Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:7-8 says, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.”
In this response God is saying, “I provide; you obey.” The Lord will send; Jeremiah will go. The Lord will command him to speak certain words; Jeremiah will speak. And Jeremiah does not need to be afraid because God will deliver.
Jeremiah is required to do only one thing: obey.
The same is true for us. God sends us into this world to make disciples. He sends; we go. He fills us with words; we speak. And in it, Jesus tells us He will be with us always.
When you think of living out the outward call of the Gospel, what are your initial objections? Do you feel you wouldn’t know what to say? Do you feel too young? too old? Are you not a good speaker? You don’t have the right personality? You are an introvert?
Every time we think of an objection, we are telling ourselves that the work must be accomplished in our own strength. But this is not our work that is being accomplished in our own power. This is a work that requires the power of the Holy Spirit. When we acknowledge our weaknesses, we are simply acknowledging this is the work of God. Do not allow your weakness to keep you from entering into the work of God. Instead, allow it to remind you “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
