Today’s Daily Bread ~ Your calling…

Isaiah 45:4-5 – “And why have I called you for this work?  It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one.  I called you by name when you did not know me.  I am the LORD; there is no other God.  I have prepared you, even though you do not know me.”

I got some exciting news not too long ago – my middle sister is pregnant with baby number three!  She’s barely into the second trimester, but plans are well underway.  Baby’s two older sisters are now sharing a bedroom to make room for their newest sibling.  My sister is pondering nursery colors and names.  She and her husband are eagerly anticipating their miracle.

Life certainly is a miracle, isn’t it?  I remember being pregnant with both of my children.  I had no idea who they were or what they would become, but I loved them with a love I had never experienced before.   And I was making plans for them.  Mike and I planted roots in a family-friendly town with good schools.  We found a vibrant church with a fantastic children’s program.  We bought clothes and painted walls.  Everything in our lives was centered on the hope we had in our babies.

I hope you know that the Lord feels the same way about you.

Long before the earth was born, God knew your name.  He knew the exact moment you would enter the world, and He eagerly anticipated your arrival.

He has been pursuing you since you took your first breath.  He walks with you every moment of every day, whispering words of comfort and encouragement.  Are you listening?

We have hopes and dreams for our children.  We want them to become godly, upstanding contributors to society, and we do everything we can to equip them.  How much more then, does your Heavenly Father hope and dream for you? 

He created you perfectly unique.  He has placed a calling on your life.  He created you with a divine purpose that you and you alone can fill.  He has equipped you with every gift and ability you will ever need.  When you come upon something that looks impossible, God smiles.  He never said we’d do it alone.  He sends the Holy Spirit to fill you and empower you.  With God, you will move mountains if you have faith the size of a mustard seed.

God loves you with a wild, reckless abandon!  Think of the things He has done to get your attention!  Look at the sunrise in the morning…the sunset in the evening.  He paints the Heavens with a majestic sweep of His brush.  He places diamond stars in the sky that twinkle enticingly, promising us that there is so much more than meets the eye.  “Walk by faith, not by sight,” He whispers.  “Trust me.  Believe me for my promises.”

Your role in God’s plan is essential, and He is counting on you to be a light in the darkness.  Loan Him your hands, that you might serve.  Loan Him your heart, that you might love.  Loan Him your voice, that you might speak the Good News.  Give Him your life, that you might be a living testimony to His glory.  He will give you everlasting life, eternal joy, and unending peace in return.

Dear God, thank You so much for the person reading these words right now.  I pray that You would absolutely cocoon them in Your love.  They carry burdens, God, and I ask You to lift them.  Forgive them for their sins, Father, and release them from any guilt or shame.  Free them to live out the calling You’ve placed on their life!  Make Your plan for them abundantly clear.  Guide their steps and guard their hearts.  Help them make their way through this day living in joyful obedience to Your Word, and may they feel Your Holy Presence always.  Bless them to be a blessing to others, Father, and bless me to do the same.  We love You so much, with our whole hearts.  We ask these things in the perfect, holy name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.