Called
according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
The chosen vessel
becomes the instrument of a Divine wisdom which surprises
the vessel itself. Sooner or later that chosen vessel is
full of one question: "Why did God choose me? Why did He
call me to this work? He ought to have chosen anyone but
me! I am the most unsuited for this kind of life and this
kind of work." That was true of Moses. When God would
send him to Egypt, he said: "Oh, if you can send by
anybody, do so, but not by me." When God chose Jeremiah,
the latter said: "I cannot speak: for I am a
child" (Jeremiah 1:6). A prophet, whose
one business it was to speak, felt that it was the one
thing he could not do. Divine choice is a very
extraordinary thing, and it is not always the thing that
we would like or would choose that God calls us to. When
we are young we have perhaps a great idea of being in the
Lord's work, and we leap to it very eagerly as though we
can do it, but when we get older we feel more acutely our
dependence. It is then that we discover that naturally we
are not fit for it, and many of God's chosen vessels have
had to be kept in the work by the very power of God
itself.
You see, it is God's
own sovereignty in His choice, and the point is this: It
is not the vessel, but the purpose for which the
vessel has been chosen. What is it that unites us as Christians? Now
listen to this: It is not salvation, nor redemption, but it is God's
power in salvation and redemption that unites us. It is the common
consciousness of all believers that they exist for a purpose and that
God has saved them with a great purpose in view. This is a very
important thing to remember. We may all be saved, and yet we may all be
divided. We may all be redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus and yet
remain just individual units. But see what a uniting power there is in
everybody feeling that they are called to a purpose! They are united by
one common vision.