The Call

"The call of God is difficult to explain but impossible to ignore. It's the nagging, conscious awareness asking you to do something. The asking comes not from words, but from deep within, as though a voice had been planted inside and now is beginning to speak" - Mike Yaconelli

I was in high school when I felt "called by God" to be a youth pastor. It wasn't an auditory voice, "Cameron, I want you to be a junior high pastor." It was a quiet whisper in my heart. Let me explain. When I was a senior in high school, I came to the conclusion that I love God, I love people, and I love kids, so why not be a youth pastor? So I volunteered in my churches 3rd grade Sunday School. I liked it. It felt right. After I graduated I tried out junior high ministry, and loved it (And still do)! It was (and is) something I saw that God blessed me in. There were times when I got to try out other areas of ministry; I worked at a camp with elementary school kids, & I went on a 3 week mission trip overseas. But I always came back to junior high ministry.

Junior High ministry was something that felt the best, something I felt God wanted me to do, something that I loved doing. I honestly don't think I'd be as fulfilled, as happy or as successful doing anything else. And if I ever landed in a spot where I'd have a different job, I'd still be volunteering to do what I do. This is what I mean by "the call of God". It's a nagging, comfortable, safe and all too familiar voice that calls you to service for God, and affirms itself through skills, passions, opportunities, and the feeling of fulfillment. And of course it never contradicts what God has already spoken in His word.

Samuel was called by God to serve Him. I'm not talking about how his mother Hannah, dedicated him to work in the church. I'm saying God actually "called" Samuel, in a physical, auditory voice. God told Samuel that he was going to be a prophet, a judge, that God was going to use him to talk to the people. Though Samuel's call was not like mine, he was still called into service, and at a young age. Join us this Wednesday as we continue our story in 1 Samuel chapter 3, and continue to look at the story of how (and when) God called Samuel into ministry, and how God calls us to serve Him.