I remember being called by God since I was little. Epiphanies were common in my household and in those of my neighbors. That reality did not prevent me from becoming atheist; however, my rebellion against God did not prevent him from getting through to me. So finally, at the age of 17 I committed my life to the Lord in baptism.

I was however, not taken by the hand to the heart of Christ and to the understanding of his mission and the proper way to carry it out. My soul was deviated instead to the issues dear to that particular congregation: role of women in church, the organization of the New Testament church, baptism, the proper way to baptize people, the offering, and similar issues.

Soon after I got baptized and with very little preparation, I was installed as a preacher of that congregation. I found myself trapped in the motions and issues of that particular place. I still had the sense of call but I was not clear about the mission of God or the part I ought to play in carrying out that mission. Several years later, while in seminary, especially at Dr. Gresham’s Old Testament class that sense of call was reawaken more poignantly. It took however several years later, great mentors, and not few trials in ministry until I became acquainted with the mission of God and began to question my call in relationship with the carrying out of that mission.

As I read my Bible I see that the people of Israel went through the same process. They were called by God in Abraham when they were not yet a nation, to be a blessing to all the nations (Gen 12:1-3). Later when they were formed as a nation they were rescued from Egypt and called to be priests to all nations (Exodus 19:6) Years later, in times of the prophet Isaiah the call is confirmed (Isaiah 42:6) “I the Lord have called you and given you power to see that justice is done on earth. Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples; through you I will bring light to all nations.”

In Isaiah 42:1-13 the Lord is affirming the call as He wants to see that the nations become just and righteous, to rescue the prisoners, and to get out the ones sitting down on the dungeons of darkness. Israel is to be an example of holy living and is to teach the nations how to live by the light of the Lord. God is empowering his people; he is sending and going with his people, God is showing them where he is investing. Israel’s greatest assets are: the spirit of the Lord that he put on them and the fact that he is carrying them by the hand as they go along.

In Isaiah 42 we see not only affirmation of call. Here, the Lord is also visiting his people and assessing their understanding of Him and the part they are playing in the call. Isaiah 42:14-25 show us that the Lord knows well that his people are blind and deaf. They are blind leading the blind. They are not up to the task; he has to send them to captivity in order to purify them.

It is the same today with us, His church. But He is still calling us; God calls us, not because we are the best for the task, the more qualified, the strongest, or the more obedient. He calls us because he loves and wants us to have part in his work.

From my own experience I can tell you that the process of understanding God’s mission, his call and the part we play in carrying out that mission is long and arduous. Before we can see with clarity the part we play in God’s mission we have to be clean of idols. It was the same for Israel; they had to spend 40 years in the desert for God to get the idols of the Egyptians out of his people. Then they had to spend 70 years in Babylon in order for God to get the idols of the nations out of his people. So what about you? What is your story?