The Voice Which Calls Us To Him

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 8:21 pm Post subject: The Voice Which Calls Us To Him

The Voice Which Calls Us To Him

Scripture:

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me: he has sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he has covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causes her seed to shoot forth: so shall the Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all the nations.
(Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11)

Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things: hold fast that which is good. From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves. And may the God of peace himself sanctify you in all things: that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is faithful who has called you, who also will do it.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: Who are you? And he confessed and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ. And they asked him: What then? Are you Elias? And he said: I am not. Are you the prophet? And he answered: No. They said therefore unto him: Who are you, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What say you of yourself? He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said to him: Why then do you baptize, if you be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? John answered them, saying: I baptize with water: but there has stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not. The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latches of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
( John 1:6-8, 19-28 )

Reflection:

We are tempted to look at our purpose in life through the eyes of our desires or by how we believe others may judge us, but do we pause to ask of ourselves, how might I lead the life for which God desires for me? Each of us is motivated in different ways. Some are minimalists, meaning they always search for the least effort necessary to get by. Some are comfortable in mediocrity, while others drive to achieve and still others are never content with their achievements, always striving for something more, but not always in healthy ways. Even within this spectrum, there are micro-spectrums. Some are selfless in their endeavors while others only pursue their selfishness. Some work with hands of love, regardless of compensation, while others work only for what is in it for them.

What if we were able to see our efforts through the eyes of God? What if we were able to turn to one another in love? We may hear some who profess their love, but what is love without action? What we profess is useless unless we stand behind our words in what we choose to do and what we choose not to do. If we hear His voice within our hearts, we shall hear our calling, for His calling is not wickedness, it is love. We may ignore Him, or we may heed Him, but one must wonder, how is it we could possibly believe in the cold of the darkness over the warmth of His light. In prayer, let us look to the light.

There is such peace in prayer, for as He hears, He is with us. There are such blessings in prayer, for He seeks to console our hearts. There is such love in prayer, for we receive so much more from Him than what flows from us. Let us let Him recharge our spirit and raise our hope, for despite the pain of this world, He awaits to wipe away every tear. Let us, then, hold fast to His light and endeavor to share of His blessings with one another.

There is a voice in the wilderness, seeking to draw hearts to Him. Let us seek our purpose, the purpose of love for which He created us. Let us join the one in the wilderness; who calls to the meek, the humble, the afflicted, the less fortunate, and those who suffer from sin; to come take refuge in the Lord. Let us share with one another the blessings of love. Let us find joy in ministry to those who are in need, so we may help turn away their darkness and bring forth to them the blessings of His light. He awaits that we should join in His work.

Just as God raised up John the Baptist to herald the way for His only begotten Son, God also raised us up for a purpose. It is our choice to accept what He asks of us or to turn away. If we do not know the reason for which He placed us, we need only look to the greatest of His commandments, to love Him and to love one another. (Matthew 22:36-40)

John the Baptist was born to help turn hearts away from sin and to bring them to the Lord. He spoke in the wilderness, he cried out so that all may come to the ways of God. He cried out so that hearts within darkness might repent and turn to the light. John pointed to the light of the world. He saw not a path for his greatness, he only saw the path of the Lord. His end in this world was tragic at the hands of evil hearts, but he is now in the embrace of the One who sent Him, the One who will wipe away the suffering and replace it with everlasting joy.

Let us listen with our hearts. Let us look at the moments of our day. In prayer, let us ask to see the path; not the path of our desires, but the path of His. Let us look not to our troubles, but to the joy which God desires we should have. Let us ask that He will guide us so we may always endeavor in love. Though we, by ourselves, cannot heal all which is wrong within the world, if we take His hand and join ours with others in faith, we can assist in bringing forth His ways, the ways which turn back the darkness and bring to us the warmth of His light.

Questions for further reflection:

In what ways may we recognize to what we are called?

In what ways may we listen for His voice of love to guide us?

In what ways may we also give testimony to His light?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier