The Missionaries Predestined Purpose

The Missionaries Predestined Purpose

"And now the LORD says, who formed ME from the womb to be His Servant..." -Isaiah 49:5

   We must continually keep our soul open to the face of God's creative purpose and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God's servant, one in whom god is glorified.
   Beware lest you forget God's purpose for your life. (Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Sept 21)

My hope tonight is to begin a 2 week daily time by using Chamber's book of daily devotions to refocus my thoughts back on God and off myself. I must admit, more for myself as I look back on this post, that this morning, I was at a point that I really didn't recognize myself. Everything I did, or thought about doing made me feel overwhelmed. I was getting frustrated over the smallest things and nervous about every little thing that is possibly to come. But that changed today, with lots of questions, probing and 2 tears :) I became aware that I was trying to control every little thing in my life. I worried over possibilities due to my inability and thinking that I would have to do it alone and in my own strength. Realizing that change must happen in order for me to react different, there must be an inner change of mind, heart and soul as well as an outer change in my habits.

So after reading this devotion, I chose to read the entire chapter of Isaiah 49.

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations; Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me in the lord's hand, and my reward is with my God. 

And now the Lord says- he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength- he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. 

This is what the Lords says- the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.


I was thinking about what I was so wrapped up in, and a couple things in this chapter really stood out to me (Those underlined above).  I was really worried that God was going to give me a task that I couldn't accomplish. I have asked the question many times when it comes to missions, why me? The verses in Exodus where God calls out Moses come to mind each time. Moses gave God every possibly reason why  He was incapable of completing the task that God had given him. To every excuse, God had an answer. First, if Moses (and I) would pay better attention, we would see that God said from the beginning that He was the one who would rescue them (not us)...I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good an spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex 3:7-8). Who heard the crying, who is concerned, who is going to rescue people from their sins? Not Moses and certainly not I, but the hands of the Lord; all we are called to be are servants. Moses goes on to say, Who am I, that I should go...?(Ex 3:11), Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you" and they ask me, "What is his name?" Then what shall I tell them?(Ex 3:13), What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, "The Lord did not appear to you?"(Ex 4:1), O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue(Ex4:10), O lord, please send someone else to do it.(Ex 4:13)... His words ring too true to my own.

But what I learn from Moses' life was that God did not change Moses into a person who knew all the answers or had perfect speech to accomplish His goal. God used Moses just the way He was because He only needed him to be a light, to put aside his own intentions "no matter how much it may hurt" (Chambers) so that the Lord could use him for the purpose that He created him for, as Isaiah said, "Before [he] was born".

So, this is only a start, but I do feel as though I am on the right track back to the person that I am fully in Christ. I must acknowledge that to make excuses, to worry, to be frustrated and to ignore things is not going to make them go away or make any situation better. I must let go of my plans, I must let go of my intentions in order to allow God to use me for His purposes so that His name is glorified. God is faithful, and He has chosen me to be His child, to be able to know Him, grow closer in likeness to him, while having all that I need in Him to have a forever relationship. To begin to doubt this God has left me feeling empty, alone and scared. I'm ready to trust Him, for He promises that when we trust in Him and lean not on our own understanding, when we acknowledge Him in all that we do, He will make our path straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6