Many folks today are looking for a purpose to life, and looking to God to not only help in the discovery of a life purpose but to bring fulfillment as well.  Are you among those persons?

This purpose-seeking is tied directly to the discovery of God’s call upon one’s life, something that often gets overlooked.  I believe that is true because when most think of the call of God, thoughts immediately turn to the idea of a call to ordained ministry, a call to be a missionary, or some other vocation that is connected to the organized churches of the world.  But, the reality is that purpose and call are closely related to every vocation, whether sacred or secular in nature.  That is why it is imperative that we seek God’s direction, listen for God’s affirmation in all of our life choices.  In short, God is always at work in our lives.

Do you ever feel like things happen in your life that seem to have no particular value, either good or otherwise, in the whole scheme of things?  Consider the story of Israel’s first anointed king, Saul.

The people of Israel had decided they needed king, so they could be like all the other nations around them.  (Evidently being like everyone else is not such a new notion after all!)  God tried to tell the people that He was their ruler, but they kept insisting.  God eventually gave them what they wanted.

Saul’s call was a bit unusual.  But God was in it.  Saul was sent off on a “wild donkey chase” (1 Samuel 9:3-4), part of God’s plan.  Before God called Saul, he was a man of no particular status or position (1 Samuel 9:21).  However, God elevated Saul to both status and position. God called Saul through the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1), just as today God’s call can come through others in our lives.  And, when God called, the Holy Spirit empowered Saul for what was ahead (1 Samuel 10:6).  The same is true for us today.  The Bible tells us that Saul became a changed man (1 Samuel 10:6). 

Saul probably wondered from time to time what God might have in mind for his life.  Do you think he ever thought he would discover God’s plan while on a “wild donkey chase?”  God is always at work in our lives.  We would do well to pay attention, even when things are happening that seem to have no particular value in the whole scheme of life.  One can never be certain about when and where God’s call might come

Rev. Dan Loomis
Carrollton First United Methodist Church