From Running to Surrender: A Powerful Testimony of God's Calling

Are you running from God's calling? Perhaps, like many believers, you know exactly what God is asking of you - but fear, doubt, or discomfort keeps you searching for an escape route. Today's truth is both challenging and liberating: you can never outrun God, but you can choose to stop running and embrace His purpose for your life.

The Price of Avoiding God's Call

Just as Jonah fled to Tarshish rather than face Nineveh, many Christians today find themselves taking "roundabout routes" to avoid divine appointments. But avoiding God's call comes at a steep price - not just for ourselves, but for those God intends to reach through us. When we run from our calling, we don't just delay our own destiny; we potentially hinder others from encountering God's power through our obedience.

The Power of Living Water

In 2 Kings 3, we find a powerful illustration of how God works in desperate situations. Three kings and their armies faced death from dehydration after seven days without water. While King Joram panicked, King Jehoshaphat knew to seek the Lord through the prophet Elisha. This contrast reveals two responses we can have in crisis:

• Avoiding God because of our circumstances

• Seeking God because of our circumstances

Which response characterizes your life today?

Preparation Before Provision

The Lord's response through Elisha is particularly instructive: "Make this valley full of ditches" (2 Kings 3:16). Though these men were already exhausted and dehydrated, God required them to dig ditches before He would send the water. This principle still holds true:

1. God's blessings often require our preparation

2. The size of our preparation can determine the size of our provision

3. Obedience may be uncomfortable but is always possible

   
   

The Living Word for Today

God's Word remains our sword in spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:17). But like any weapon, it must be readily available - not something we scramble to find in moments of crisis. Consider these sobering questions:

• How much time do you spend scrolling social media versus reading Scripture?

• When facing problems, do you search YouTube for solutions more earnestly than you search God's Word?

• Are you expecting God to speak while leaving your Bible unopened?

  
  

The truth is that God's Word never returns void. There has never been a time when someone opened the Bible with a sincere heart and God remained silent. The same passage can minister different truths on different days because it is living and active, meeting us precisely where we need it most.

The Cost of Your Calling

Your divine calling will cost you everything. Complete submission and obedience are non-negotiable requirements for walking in God's purposes. But consider this: what is the cost of disobedience? What opportunities are missed, what lives remain untouched, what divine appointments are forfeited when we choose comfort over calling?

The Bible doesn't detail the inner turmoil of those who answered God's call - but we can be certain they felt fear, doubt, and discomfort. Yet they moved forward anyway. Their example teaches us that obedience isn't about feeling ready or comfortable - it's about being faithful.

A Challenge for Today

The question before you now is simple but profound: How badly do you want it? What are you willing to sacrifice to walk in God's calling for your life?

Consider these practical steps toward obedience:

1. Start with God's Word - commit to daily Scripture reading

2. Remove distractions that hinder your spiritual growth

3. Prepare yourself through prayer and study

4. Take small steps of obedience, even when afraid

5. Remember that your obedience affects others' destinies

   
   

The time for running is over. God's power still moves today, His Word remains true, and His calling on your life stands firm. Will you take Him at His word? Will you dig the ditches before you see the water? The choice - and the consequences - are yours.

Remember: Obedience is better than sacrifice, but true obedience will always require sacrifice. What is God asking you to surrender today?