“Mark it, the soul that once hears the call of God to bring it into the ways of life will evermore depend upon God’s call in all other things. If God has called me out of the ways of death into the ways of life, in obedience to that call that my soul has yielded to, I shall evermore be under the power of God’s call in all other things. Let God call me to what He will, to what service He pleases, to whatever difficulties and sufferings He shall think meet, my soul is content and says, “Here I am, Lord. Speak, Thy servant hears.”
-Jeremiah burroughs
Now for a soul to be so under God as to wait upon the call of God to any duty, service, and employment, and that it dares not go about anything but according to the call of God, this is good evidence that such a soul has been acquainted with that great call of God, that powerful call of God, to bring him off from the ways of sin into the ways of life and salvation. Further, for those who have been acquainted with this call of God there is an answerable frame and disposition in their hearts to call upon the name of God for assistance, direction, and a blessing on all they undertake. They delight now to repair unto God and call upon Him. As God calls unto them, so they call unto Him; for that is the way of God according to His work in the soul. He puts a gracious frame into the soul answerable to it… As God chooses the soul from the world, so the soul chooses God above all things in the world. The soul answers God… As God calls the soul to come and live for Him in the ways of grace while he lives in this world, so the soul calls on God for His assistance, that He would give His help unto him on all occasions.”
Reflection:
Calling has an external reality and an internal reality. Many are called outwardly who are not called inwardly, but all those who are called inwardly respond in faith to God. Once we have experienced the inward call leading to salvation, we learn to depend upon the Lord’s call throughout our life. The one who calls us from death to life and from darkness to light now claims our hearts. The Christian is one who has been born again and now possesses a soul that answers to God. The symmetry of this is beautiful. When God chooses us, we choose Him. When God calls us, we call to Him. When God repairs our hearts, we give our hearts wholly to Him. This is such a blessing from God, that He re-orders our hearts to turn to Him for all our needs.
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