Have You Forgotten...?

This weekend I attended the regional Hispanic Church of the Nazarene Youth Conference. Pastor David Perez was invited to come and preach, and it was a blessing to my soul- like water that I needed to calm and refresh me and remind me of what I had forgotten.

Have You Forgotten Who God Is?

On Saturday, I was in a bad state. For no particular reason whatsoever, my decisions about next year seemed utterly overwhelming. The tears came and they came abundantly. And nothing and everything that anyone would say couldn't comfort my soul.

But, it was because I had forgotten. I had forgotten who my God is! That's the way Pastor Perez put it, as he asked, "Church, have you forgotten who parted the Red Sea? Have you forgotten who brought water forth from the rock? Have you forgotten who dropped manna from the sky?" This isn't a new problem. It wasn't even that long ago, and the Israelites forgot and started grumbling again.

Sometimes we forget God's faithfulness, His power and the times when He has brought us through so much. It does the soul good to remember who our God is and what He has done in our own lives so that we don't forget and grumble.

3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, [a] saying:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness. -Jeremiah 31:3

After all, as we read here, God has for us an everlasting love- from beforehand and to the end. We are treasured, created and drawn by God. His loving-kindness and His faithfulness all prove to us who He is, that we may never fear but rest and trust in Him.


Have You Forgotten God's Promise?

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."- Jeremiah 1:4-9

On Sunday night Pastor Perez talked about these verses and His own sense of calling. Jeremiah was afraid, and so was Pastor Perez. They were both young, when called to serve God. But, that's what makes it so special. On our own, we cannot. It is only through Him that we can.

The words here tell that "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." I told Brad last night, that as a little girl I embodied many unusual signs of interest in ministry. By second grade I talked about wanting to be a teacher or preacher. Those were my two options- rather far from the super model or soccer star that my classmates hoped to be. I explained the parable of the sower during the children's story. I would read through different sections of the Bible and explain to my mom my ideas for different sermons that could be taught through each passage. I took a Saturday morning to draw out a family tree, the genealogy of several Old Testament passages. And by middle school, I was journaling every morning. I preached several times on random Sundays in the church and during Christmas Eve services. Sometimes I felt that I didn't know what to do... but oftentimes the voice of God came through the voice of the church, "He'll give you words"- always supportive.

I pray that God use me in some way. I have a new dream recently, that I'm praying about. I've recently felt that a PhD in SLAT or LRC could lead me to help with or establish a church-funded educational project in another country. My new sister and brother in law (Shelley & Rich) gave me a beautiful Christmas gift of a donation to a ministry of my choosing... and when I read about Tempo de Amar Child Development project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I instantly fell in love with it- http://www.ncm.org/projects/acm1785 (Read it... I know you'll love it too.) So now I dream of God using me- perhaps in that kind of ministry. It's a big dream, and sometimes I feel like I'm "just a child." But I know that God has seen me since before I was born, and He will "give me the words."


Have You Forgotten God's Call?

15 Moses said to the LORD, 16 "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."

18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, [g] and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."

22 Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses. -Numbers 27:15-23

This weekend I told Pastor that I have felt a call to ministry, and I have to admit I was surprised to find in Pastor and the whole congregation such a warm welcome and encouragement to this sense of calling. I am new to their congregation and a quiet little gringa, but they were so willing to trust that call that God has placed in in my life.

And God has called us all. It's so easy to forget the difference between then and now. Then the Israelites needed a shepherd, because they were without one. Today, Christ has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit which fills our lives. That Holy Spirit gives us each the ability and the responsibility to use our talents for God and be shepherds in some way... to the many sheep who haven't yet found their Shepherd.

Let us not forget the great blessing of God, His promise and His call to each of us.