By Cletus David

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying; "Whom shall I send; and who will go for us? Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)

I was nurtured by Christian parents. As I grew up, I had a passion to serve God and to maintain my faith in Jesus despite the pressure I faced amongst my peers. At some point in my life I felt called into pastoral ministry; but, like Isaiah, I felt very inadequate and insecure. I felt inadequate because I knew all of my struggles and failures. I felt insecure because I grew up in a family which had difficulties paying my school fees. (My parents were, and are, Evangelist/Pastors, a profession that earns very little money in Africa.) I decided to harden my heart towards answering God's call to become a pastor, because I did not want to deal with financial hardship.

Two years ago, having realized that God owns me and holds my future, I decided to face my fears and said, “Yes!” to God’s call. As a university student majoring in business management, it was difficult to say yes to God. But, I knew I had to follow my heart if ever I wanted to be fulfilled in life. Like Isaiah, I answered, "Here am I! Send me!" I changed my area of study to theology. Since then, I have experienced a great peace and I am confident that he who has called me with be with me till the end. I trust God with my future!

Prayer

Dear God help each of us to realize that you have great plans for our lives. Open our eyes and ears to hear your call to serve. And, embolden us to respond boldly with, "Yes!" Amen.

Thought for the Week

Know that God calls us in different ways, therefore be alert to respond

Prayer focus this week

People struggling to answer their call to ministry