"Prayer doesn't just change things, prayer changes everything!"
July 26, 2010
Testing the Waters? Try a low-cost Probe?
Arthur Miller writes these words of advice and wisdom: "God did not place you on this earth to waste away your years in labor that does not employ His design or purpose for your life, no matter how much you may be getting paid for it."Since discerning God's call requires time and patience, and most of us have bills that must be paid, family responsibilities and commitments at church, what do we do? The answer is bad news for those who want to microwave everything; it is dangerous to jump into commitments too rashly. One alternative is to conduct what Bob Buford calls, "a low-cost probe."
The idea is to keep your day job, but test the waters. Begin to explore your effectiveness in the area to which you believe God may be calling you. In Bob Buford's case, a low-cost probe began with keeping his C.E.O. position, then pulling together a group of pastors of large churches to see if they could benefit from the kind of organizational expertise he had to offer. The cost of doing this was low enough that, had it been a dead end, he could easily have turned his search elsewhere. Had he impulsively quit his job and taken a staff position in a church somewhere, he might have missed his calling and jeopardized his chance to keep searching.
God requires us to honor previous decisions and commitments. Amos transitioned into the prophecy business, but still had his shepherding job to fall back on. Paul kept his tent making operation in production while he went into church planting. Although King David had already been anointed by Samuel to be Israel's next king; he kept right on writing poetry, playing his instrument, serving Saul, and fighting in Saul's army. He waited on the fulfillment of the prophecy, that he would some day become king over all Israel.
The Bible tells us to wait on our calling and to make our calling and election sure. That lets us know that there is some time and space during the in-between place of ministry; that teaches us and perfects us into being all that God has on His heart and mind for us to be. Though the vision may tarry, we must wait on it; it will speak of the end; and it will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.( Habakkuk 2:3 NIV).
Excerpts from: the Word for You Today October-November-December Issue 2005
