Calling the Unqualified and Qualifying the Called

Do you remember the story of Esther in the Old Testament? The one where a young Jewish girl wins the favor of a Persian King, becomes his wife, and saves her people from genocide? If not, I’ll give you the Sparknotes version. After Esther married King Xerxes, one of his most trusted viziers, Haman, became enraged at a royal official for not bowing before him. Haman discovered that the official was Jewish and devised a plan to murder not only this one man but all the Jews in the Kingdom. This man who refused to bow before anyone but the Lord was called Mordecai, and he happened to be Esther’s uncle, the man who raised her. Long story short, Mordecai learned of Haman’s plan and sent word to Esther, begging her to bring the plot before her husband and to plead for his mercy on her people. Initially, Esther refused, knowing that anyone who approached the King without first being summoned would be killed. Mordecai’s response contains one of my favorite passages of Scripture and is the inspiration behind this post. In Chapter 4, verse 14 of Esther he writes:

“…if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

What a powerful statement of truth. Although God is never explicitly mentioned in the book of Esther, His presence and power are evident throughout, and I think that’s especially clear in Mordecai’s words here. The Lord has a plan, and He places His children in certain positions at specific times to execute His will. But don’t be mistaken. God doesn’t need any of us; He chooses to use us, often in spite of ourselves. And if we refuse to obey, He can and often will raise up another.

When reading this passage, I am often reminded of two other Old Testament heroes, Jonah and Moses. Both were called by the Lord to risk their safety to do something extraordinary and something certainly out of their comfort zones. And both were extremely reluctant to do so. In Jonah’s case, not only was he scared to risk his life, but he didn’t even agree with God’s reason for sending him in the first place! He didn’t believe the Ninevites were worthy of the Lord’s mercy, so what did he do? He ran. He purposefully disobeyed God’s commands and tried to hide from His presence. But God saw him. He saw him and used him in spite of his stubbornness. And while Jonah eventually went to Nineveh and preached the Word, he did so with a bitter heart, and was enraged when the Lord chose to spare the city (Jonah 4:2).

In Moses’ case, during his famous encounter with the burning bush, the Lord commanded him to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh free the Israelites. Moses’ response is one that runs through my own mind more frequently than I care to admit. He said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11). The Lord went on to explain that He would be with Moses, and He performed several signs to demonstrate His power, and yet, Moses still doubted his ability to do what God had asked. In 4:10 he said, “Pardon your servant, Lord I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” And what was God’s response? “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (4:11-12).

I’d like to say that if I were Moses at this point in the story I definitely would have said ‘Ok God! That’s great. You’re so right. I’m sorry for doubting you. Let’s do this thing!” In reality, I’m almost certain my response would have been a lot like Moses’. After everything the Lord had promised him and shown him, Moses still asked God to send another, saying, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” But what did the Lord do? Much like Jonah, He used Moses in spite of himself, but He also raised up Aaron to serve as Moses’ mouthpiece. 

So what’s the takeaway here? When we feel the Lord calling us to do something or go somewhere or speak some truth, we need to take a leap of faith and have confidence in the Lord’s desire and ability to use us for His purpose. I know it’s tempting to argue that what He’s asking is impossible like Esther, or to point out why it’s impractical like Jonah, or to explain why you’re not the right person like Moses. But remember that had Esther refused, she would have missed out on an opportunity to demonstrate the Lord’s power and would have watched from the sidelines as He used someone else. Remember that while the Lord still used Jonah, he went kicking and screaming and couldn’t even rejoice in what the Lord accomplished through him. Remember that while the Lord used Moses, He had to call someone else to do part of the job due to Moses’ lack of faith.

The Lord’s will will be done, with or without us, in congruence with us or in spite of us. And I for one would rather be a willing participant instead of a sideline observer, an embittered instrument, or a doubting Thomas. Now I know that’s easier said than done… The truth is, I wrote the majority of these words almost three months ago and have just now felt like I believed them enough to share with all of you…

For many years now I have felt so much like Moses. When I was sixteen the Lord directed me down a path I never imagined I’d go… Feeling called to the mission field was scary enough, but a medical career? That was honestly something I never would have chosen for myself, and I struggled from the very beginning to believe that I was capable of doing this… I cannot tell you how many times I have begged the Lord to send someone else and to give me something different. I watched as many of my colleagues in undergrad prayed similar prayers and received their desired answers, but that answer never came to me. In fact I received quite the opposite. At every crossroad where I have been certain the door would close, it has remained open. And I have received opportunities and experiences and mentors and friendships that have further confirmed time and time again that this is exactly where the Lord wants me to be, that He has me here for a purpose, and that through Him, I can achieve the impossible, the impractical, and the improbable.