From Captivity to Calling

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23–24
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What a brave and terrifying request, as the psalmist is inviting the Almighty God, who sees all (like, everything), to point out what qualities, habits, and lifestyle choices do not measure up to His holiness. I think this is an appropriate response to the sermon last Sunday. Pastor Aaron described God as a Shepherd leading His sheep through the wilderness. In Scripture, before the wilderness, Israel was held in captivity. If the comparison of being in the wilderness is used, then you must pause and examine what captivity came before your wilderness.

Captivity is living trapped, enslaved, ruled over, undervalued, and your potential minimized. You may have learned how to adapt and survive in it. Even though it's a struggle, you know what to expect and almost find false comfort in unhappiness, and the thought of leaving is unsettling. Even if it's better to change, it's still unknown and uncomfortable.

What are some things that could cause this minimized living? Some examples might be unhealthy relationships, unbalanced attachments to your kids, addictions, lifestyle choices, time-filling activities, self-sabotage, rejection, or constant busyness.

In between captivity and wilderness, there is a singular call: "GO!" Regardless of how softly spoken or loudly announced, if you don't pay attention, you will miss it and stay where you are. He calls you out of the old patterns and to Himself. That call is often met with hesitation, and looking at examples in Scripture, it seems understandable.

God directed Abram to leave his home and everything he knew and said He'd fill him in on the road. He took a deep breath and did it! Abram stepped out, and that act transformed his life and altered history. He became what the Lord called him to be.

The wilderness, as Pastor Aaron explained, is the way out of captivity. It's the path that the Great Shepherd walks with you to prepare you for His plan. Oftentimes, and frustratingly, it’s NOT the most straightforward and time-efficient path, but it's the way that builds faith, trust, and dependence on Him.

You are posed with a few choices in responding to this message:

• Are you willing to stop and evaluate where you are?
• Are you brave enough to ask God, as David did, to search you and reveal His findings?
• Are you in captivity? If so, write it down, call it out by name, or confess it to a friend you are accountable to. What continues to keep you from a full, potential-reaching life with God?
• Are you in the wilderness, feeling stagnant, forgotten, on hold, or stuck? Allow the message you heard on Sunday to encourage you! God is with you in the wilderness, working on your character and preparing you for His plan.

Yes, there are a myriad of opportunities to go back to what you knew in your old life, to what was familiar, but do not succumb to it. If God provided daily for the Israelites (their food, shoes that didn't even wear out, protection, and direction), He will do so for you too, because our God is consistently good, loving, and faithful.

Be encouraged, and bravely, with intention, and your ear tuned to His voice, take your next steps!