He Calls Me

Admin
Aug 1
4 min read

Updated: Aug 15

(This is the first in the series of posts entitled, “He Calls Me.” This series will focus on the various names and titles that believers are called in Scripture.)

“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” I Thess. 5:24

The word “call” has a lot of meanings. We use this word in a variety of ways. Perhaps because we live in such a technology dependent world, the most frequent use that I can think of is making or receiving a telephone call. As I consider this verse, my mind starts to imagine what it would be like if when I answered my phone next time it was God calling. Have you ever had such a thought? Such a thing seems ludicrous, and yet there are men and women in history who have had the experience of speaking with God face to face or at least voice to voice.

Meanings or Connotations

In this post, we will explore three common ways that we use the word “call” in our ordinary, everyday conversation. First, the word “call” is used to refer to someone in conversation. We use phrases like, “Oh, you know, the (fill in the blank) one.” We fill in the blank with “the pretty one,” “the smart one, “the blonde one,” or the description of your choosing.

We also use the word when we are talking about contacting someone or getting hold of someone. How often do we end a conversation by saying, “Give me a call sometime,” or “I’ll call you later”? The words and phrases just roll off our tongues without thinking. It is simply polite conversation.

A third common way we use “call” is as an invitation. When we are planning an event, we put out the call, so our friends and family know. Those who are involved in ministry have usually sensed a calling on their lives, and when there is trouble or a tragedy a “call to action” is issued.

What Did You Call Me?

Throughout Scripture, believers are called many things, and that is what this series is going to explore. We are referred to as:

His child	Blameless	Warrior	Free
Holy	Forgiven	Chosen	Friend
Saint	Fearless	Hidden with Christ	Ambassador
Sealed by the Holy Spirit	Temple of the Holy Spirit

…and there are many, many more that we can find in the Bible. Our Father is rather fond of us, and he tells us so in so many different ways. Each of these topics will be covered in upcoming posts.

Making Contact

The second way “call” is used is to contact or reach out to someone. In Genesis 3:9 we hear God calling Adam. In Genesis 12, God calls Abram to travel to a land that God will show him. In Exodus 3, God calls to Moses from a burning bush in the desert, and in I Samuel 3:4, the child Samuel hears God calling his name in the middle of the night. But what about you and me? Has God called us? Paul writes in II Timothy 1:9 that God has saved us and called us to live holy lives, and he who has called us will certainly equip us to do just that.

You Are Invited!

When God calls, we want to say, “I hear you calling, God.” But all too often what comes out of our mouth is, “Is that really you, God? How can I be certain that this is God calling?”

There’s a story that Jesus told that speaks so aptly to our current culture. It is the story, or the parable, of the Wedding Feast. The king’s son or daughter was about to be wed, and the invitations had gone out to all of the wealthy and important people of the kingdom. But when the time for the wedding arrived, everyone was too busy to attend. One by one, they sent back their lame excuses and asked to be excused. The king then sent his servants out into the highways and byways to compel the common people to attend, and so the house was filled. The same is true today. We have all been called or invited to join the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, but have we offered excuses? Some may doubt their ability to hear the call. Some doubt their worthiness. Others find any number of other excuses to decline the invitation.

How Will You Respond?

We know that in the beginning, God created man in his own image. Man was created with the nature and character of God. It was Father’s desire for his creation to live and operate in his image, and Father’s desire remains the same today. But man made a choice, and from that time forward Father has been calling to man in every generation.

How do we respond? Many simply hang up due to feelings of anger, distrust, disgust, misunderstanding, or willfulness, and yet Father keeps calling. Others take the receiver off the hook so that they are unable to hear the call. We spend our time avoiding God, preventing his work in our life, and separating ourselves from anything that might allow God to get through to us. We know he is trying to call us, but we refuse to answer. This same thing has been going on for a very long time. We read these words in Jeremiah 7:13, “While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer.”

Then there are those who answer the call. We hear the call, and we take it. But it’s not always easy, is it? There are times when the task we are given, when the circumstances we must face, or when the way forward is difficult to discern, and we wonder if it was God calling at all. We may have a mountain of excuses that we use to excuse ourselves from his call. We may feel like we are too young like Samuel or too old like Moses. Our God knows our frailties. He knows our shortcomings. He is aware of our doubts, but he remains confident in our ability to follow and to obey. And he is there to support us through it all.

God is calling…will you answer?

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®