I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2 ESV
When our cell phone rings, it is common for us to look at the number and decide whether to pick the call, reject it or just let it go to voice mail. But when I was a kid, a phone call was actually quite an event. Our only phone hung on the wall in the kitchen, and if it rang when mom had her hands in the dishwater, she would yell out, “Will somebody answer that please!” Then either my sister or I would run to pick it up. In those days, we couldn’t just say, “Hello!” Instead, we had to begin by saying, “This is the Jones residence; may I help you please?”
The Bible tells us about the most important call of all: the one from God. Some of us may be letting God’s call go through to voice mail because we are afraid of what we think He is planning. We picture being sent off to some scary place overseas or emptying our bank account to help the poor. But we are missing what God’s call is about. Today’s verse tells us that He is far more interested in who we are than in what we do. So, go ahead. Be brave. Pick up the phone because you just may discover that God is calling for us to be humble in how we think of ourselves and gentle in how we treat others. We also may find out He is asking us to be patient when things don’t happen as quickly as we hoped (which is often) and loving forbearance when people fail us. And with all the callings and messages we are hearing it is most important of all to remember that everything God asks of us, He has already done when He picked up His phone and answered our call for mercy!
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8 NIV
When I was about fourteen our parents often took my younger sister and I on day trips to the museums in New York. Like the average young boy I was hoping to see dinosaurs , but my step-father decided it was a better education to trudge through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim or anyplace filled with paintings. One day after bringing us over to the Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn they decided to head back to Manhattan for lunch. At first I could hear mom say, “Look, there’s the Empire State building, just head that way and we’ll get there!” So, my step-dad headed through downtown Brooklyn towards the landmark which they could see in the distance. I don’t recall much except hearing him say, “I’m not going to stop and ask for directions. They always tell me to turn around and go the other way!” So they just kept driving, always keeping what was then the tallest skyscraper in New York in view. Unfortunately, when we came to the river our parents suddenly realized that they had forgotten they needed to cross a bridge!
Life is often like that. We are pretty sure we know where we need to be going and how to get there but we have forgotten that we need to cross God’s bridge. In Psalm 32, David shares with us how God had helped him out of the very lost part of his life, when he had sinned by having an affair with Bathsheba. But before he could receive God’s promise, David had to stop and ask directions – an act we call repentance. We often delay this as long as possible, because we know that, just like my step-dad, we will be told to turn around and go in the opposite direction.
But, if we will just humble ourselves and admit we are going the wrong way, God has a wonderful promise. First, He says that He will instruct us – In other words He will open His GPS app, called the Bible, and show us the way to the bridge. Next, God promises to teach us. In other words He gives step by step directions at every turn. But the best part comes at the end of the verse when He promises is to guide us with His eye. What an amazing Savior we serve. He is watching right now, wondering what we will do when we finally realize we need to find the bridge! He is always waiting for us to stop and ask for His help and forgiveness. When we do this, He promises that He will lovingly keep His eye on us by coming down, sitting next to us and riding alongside all the way across the river!
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