Pastor Wayne Moore
High Point Baptist Church
Stuart, Virginia
We are already a few days into the New Year. Have you stopped to consider the call of God on your life? If you haven’t, it’s not like you have missed a deadline. New Year’s Day is not the only day of the year to think about the most important aspects of your life. Today is a good day to respond to whatever God may be calling you to. As you explore God’s call on your life, use the following lessons from Numbers 22 to help you: God calls whom He wants, when He wants, how He wants, and for what He wants. You need to read the whole chapter to understand the context.
God calls whom He wants. If God could use Balaam, He can use you. Balaam was a pagan soothsayer. He was known for his ability to put curses on others. The meaning of his name is associated with cursing. It seems like he was in the family business. His dad’s name, Beor, means “burn” or “destroy.” Balaam had been called upon by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the children of Israel. Israel was only passing by the land of Moab and meant them no harm. But Balak wasn’t sure of that and wanted to strike preemptively. Balaam wasn’t even close to the action. He lived about 400 miles away, a 25-day journey in that era. So, God takes a pagan who has been called from over 400 miles away to curse Israel and determines to use Him for His own purpose. If He can do that, He can use you. Will you be a willing or an unwilling participant in God’s plans?
God calls when He wants. God called Balaam as He was positioning His people to enter the “Promised Land.” It was a time of opposition. Israel had already been opposed several times and was currently being opposed by Balak. If Balaam followed Balak’s desires, he would be in opposition to God. And if he followed God’s desire, he would be in opposition to Balak. The same is true for us. God’s call comes at a time of opposition. The world’s course contradicts God’s purposes. If we follow the world, we are in opposition to God. And if we follow God, we are in opposition to the world. Satan is behind all opposition to God. Therefore, if we follow God, Satan will oppose us. Will you follow God knowing that you will be opposed?
God calls how He wants. He called Balaam, both, by ordinary and extraordinary means. First, God worked through the ordinary correspondence of Balak, and then, through the extraordinary experience of a talking donkey. Space does not allow for addressing all the questions that arise from such an unusual event, but the point is that God calls us how He wants to. He is not limited to the ordinary and consistent fashion in which He created the world to operate. He is greater than His creation and can alter it any time He wants. But here lies the warning: don’t miss God’s ordinary call. God doesn’t call very often in extraordinary ways. If He did, they would not be extraordinary. Will you answer God’s ordinary call, or will you risk missing His blessings while you wait for Him to do something extraordinary?
God calls for what He wants. His call to Balaam was just the opposite of Balak’s call. Balak wanted Balaam to curse God’s people; God wanted him to bless them. Using the donkey, God stopped Balaam three times on his journey. Each time, God stopped him, it was in a narrower place. He was teaching Balaam that following God is exclusive. There is no room for following God and others. It is impossible to please everyone. We must choose whom we want to please. It would be nice if everyone wanted to please God. Then we would all get along. But that is not how it is. Therefore, we must make a choice. Will you choose to follow God’s call on your life to the exclusion of everyone else’s call?
The Bible says that “now is the accepted time” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Don’t wait until the next New Year’s Day to make a decision. If God is calling you to be saved from your sins, respond to Him in faith right now. If He is calling you to do something, determine right now to do it. If He is calling you to stop doing something, stop doing it right now. Be a willing participant in God’s plans, and let Him bless you from this day forward.
