Here I am LORD...

What is a calling? Some may think only our pastors, the clergy receive a call. But that is far from the truth.  Looking back over Scripture, reading the stories of the great people who were touched by the Hand of God we realize God calls many of us to join Him in His work.

"Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence..." Ezra 7:23

When we feel the call of God on our lives, it is time to pray diligently and with purpose. How can we recognize a call; what does it feel or look like?  It would be nice if we simply woke up one morning and knew without a doubt God was up to something and immediately we understood what to do next.

God doesn't often work that way.  We might get out of bed, go through our day and not have a clue why we have feelings of unrest or anxious moments. We might think we are only having side-effects from the extravagant dinner the night before. But sometimes, it is much more significant than that.

Some of us sense an urgency or a nudge to pray and ask God for answers to the unrest in our souls. When there is a deep longing in our hearts for something undefinable God may be calling us to move out. When God begins to move us in the direction he wants us to go, it can be unsettling until we recognize and open up our lives to the possibilities He is setting before us.

We must understand that whatever it is God is preparing us for, it will be life-changing; our lives and others will be impacted by our ability to discern and our willingness to trust and obey.

"Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage." Ezra 7:28

Oh, be sure to journal this adventure because one day you will want to look back and see just how God spoke into your life and then you will want to tell others.

Ezra 7:21-28