The Constraint of the Call

Today's lesson seems to be primarily directed at those who feel called to preach. I do not feel that specific call, but Oswald's first two lines still make a strong impression on me: "Beware of stopping your ears to the call of God. Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact."

Beware of stopping your ears. Our world is full of so much noise -- movies, television, advertising, music, talk shows, celebrities, the internet, magazines, books . . . and much of it is worthwhile. The point Oswald makes repeatedly throughout My Utmost for His Highest, however, is that the good can sometimes obscure the best. Another of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen, advocates intentional solitude as a means of separating yourself from the noise and attuning your senses to the presence of God.

Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact. No one escapes this call. This is where our very private relationship with God becomes public. One of the definitions of "testify" is to serve as evidence. Our very lives -- our actions as much as our words -- are to be testimonies. When I'm driving and running late (which is a very common occurrence), when I'm standing in line (and, again, running late), when the cashier is surly, when I'm in the bleachers at a wrestling meet, when my boss fails to acknowledge my work, when my children hurt my feelings . . . my attitude, my responses should bear witness that I am saved by grace and held in the palm of an awesome God. My future, my worth, my peace of mind do not depend on circumstances or other people's response to me.

I'll close with the first question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism:

Q: What is your only hope in life and in death?

A: That I am not my own but belong body and soul -- in life and in death -- to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Amen.

Barbara