How do I know whether or not I am
capable of doing missionary work (in its customarily understood sense)?
Granted, we all have different abilities and not everyone is cut out to do the
work of a missionary. Precious resources can be wasted and much damage caused
by the wrong kind of people going to the mission field. I can’t help but
wonder, though, how so many Christians seem so sure they are not cut out to be
missionaries when so few have even attempted it! I have a suspicious feeling
that many more could be doing effective missionary work than are currently
trying.
How, then, do I go about ascertaining
what the Lord’s will is for my life? Since God "has given to us all things
that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us
. . ." (2 Peter 1:3),1 we can know, generally, what the divine
will is. As a matter of fact, the will of God is something we must understand
and obey (Matthew 7:21; Ephesians 5:17). But what about the particular
things in one’s life that are not specifically addressed in the Bible? For
example, where does the Lord want me, as an individual disciple, to
"go" in order to share may faith? I can’t be everywhere at once. How
can I be sure that I’m presently where I’m supposed to be? Moreover, how can I
determine whether God wants me to get into full-time ministry or to seek
secular employment, and which of the multiple options in either category is
right for me? Is it possible to know what the Lord’s providential will is?
"And we know that all things work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according
to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). While we can have assurance that God
providentially works in our lives, we cannot always know for sure the
particulars of his providential will (cf. Esther 4:14; Philemon 15). In fact,
it is probably best that we don’t know. Each of us has been created as a free
moral agent with the ability to think and the freedom to choose, yet we often
take this for granted and forget what a tremendous blessing it is. Admittedly,
being entrusted with responsibility is not always easy. We sometimes want to
say to God: "Tell me what to do," "Show me a sign,"
"Don’t let me make the wrong decision." Now the Lord certainly wants
us to trust in, rely on, and obey him, but surely he does not want his children
to be a bunch of helpless, indolent, senseless robots. If we are going to make
a difference in this world, it is imperative that we develop into mature,
responsible beings. And this is only possible when we have opportunities to
make our own decisions, and even our own mistakes, and to learn and grow from
them.
We most often struggle with this when
we naively think there is only one choice that can be "the right
one." What career is the right one for me? Will I ever find that
special someone who is the right one? Which mission field is the
right one to choose? While preference, personality, compatibility, and
other personal traits play an important part, more often than not our
"best" choices extend far beyond a single option. As we travel down
the road of life, we regularly come to forks in the road. Often there are
several paths leading off the fork and we must decide which one to take.
Equipped with a good understanding of God’s word, we can make wise, responsible
choices. No matter which direction we decide to travel, as long as it is
consistent with God’s overall will, and even if it turns out to be rough and
bumpy, the Lord will ensure that it works out for the best. Moreover, other
forks lie ahead that will enable us to change our course if necessary.
–Kevin L. Moore
Endnote:
1 Unless
otherwise noted, all scripture references are from the NKJV.
*Adapted
from my book The Single Missionary [2002] 6-13.
Related Posts: Called to Be a Missionary Part 1, Part 3, Counting the Cost of Being a Missionary Part 1, Part 2, My Life as a Missionary
Image credit: http://prwatch.org/files/images/confused-character.jpg
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