Sabbath: God’s Call

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Ezra 7:10; Neh. 1:1-11; Dan. 9:24-27; Daniel 8:1-27; Rom. 8:28-29; Romans 9:1-33; Exodus 3:1-4:31.

Memory Text: “Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 7:27, NKJV).

Does God call each person to a specific task? Are there criteria that make someone more qualified than others for a certain task? Are those criteria different in human eyes than in God’s? Most of us would probably say yes, especially to the last two questions. There are times when God prepares us, through education or experiences, for a specific task; at other times, He chooses us to serve simply because we are willing and humble. It’s not always easy to know, though, what God’s call is in our lives is it? Nevertheless, the Bible is full of stories of people whom God chose for a particular assignment.

Interestingly, Ezra and Nehemiah were called for a specific task by God: to rebuild what lay in ruins. However, rebuilding in this case involved various tasks. They were to lead the people of Israel back to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple and the city. At the same time, they were to teach the people about God and above all guide them back to a committed relationship with Him. Talk about a calling from God, and an important one, too.