October 9, 2000
FAMILY MATTERS:
Patience offers key to knowing God's will
___When we go to youth camp or to a youth conference, it feels like God is calling me into ministry. But when I get home, the feeling goes away. How can I know for sure?
DEBBIE CHISOLM
Minister to Students
Royal Lane Baptist Church, Dallas
___Trying to discover God's plan for our lives is a lifelong endeavor. Sometimes the most difficult thing is trying to distinguish God's voice and prompting from all the other voices and emotions that bounce around in our hearts and minds.
___Some Christians believe God has a specific plan for your life. They believe God has a specific person picked out for you to marry and a specific vocation for which you've been created. Other Christians believe God's plan for us is more general and encompasses many different possibilities.
___Regardless of which of these two beliefs you ascribe to, there are some truths that can be applicable to both.
___God's will for our lives and God's call to ministry often are unfolded over time. If you look at the way God has worked throughout history, you will not find a lot of examples of instant revelation in Scripture. Look at the way Jesus worked with his disciples. Jesus revealed himself and their mission gradually over time. If God is calling you to ministry, then the revelation of that call will continue to unfold along the way.
___We are emotional creatures, and our emotions can swiftly take control. Speakers, circumstances, events and spiritual awakenings can create a flood of emotions. We can feel guilt, fear, joy, excitement and conviction, all mixed together with a strong sense of devotion, all in one hour of listening to an inspiring speaker. God uses these kinds of events to cause us to consider the possibilities of ministries.
___But long after the event is over and the emotions have died, God's call remains. It comes again and again, but not only in these emotion-packed places, but also in the quietness of prayer, in the study of Scripture and in the counsel of friends and family.
___If God is calling you to ministry, you'll know because the call will always be there, through high school and college and seminary--quietly directing your steps.
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