Available to be Able
Daily Old Testament Reading: Exodus 30-33
Daily Focus Passage: Exodus 31
Are you a skilled worker for the Lord? To answer this question, you may discuss how you do not have the experience or ability of one who may preach on Sunday or teach Sunday school. You may talk about how people with great skills, you do not possess, serve the kingdom of God. Yet, what must not be denied is that the Lord calls each of his children to service and equips those he calls. In Exodus 31, the Lord shares with Moses how Bezalel and Oholiab have been given special skills to carry out a specific task to fulfill the calling of the Lord. The ability did not come from thorough training, but the ability came from the Lord because of the availability of his children. This truth remains true for us today, and we must understand the task of becoming able through being available.
HEAR GOD’S PLAN
Moses has just received concise instructions on the formation of the tabernacle and for the priest. The command given by the Lord meant that Moses heard the plan of the Lord and must respond to it. In hearing God’s plan, the Lord presented the big picture of the instructions concerning the tabernacle and the priest and then provided how these tasks would be completed. Moses may have felt the weight of God’s enormous plan initially, but he received the plan with the expectation that the Lord would provide.
We need to listen intentionally to the plan of the Lord. He will provide the direction ahead and the task before us when we seek to hear from him. Moses demonstrated how we need to receive the calling of the Lord with the expectation that the Lord will provide the needed resources for completing the task. At the same time, we must rest in the Lord and understand that we hear God’s plan on a need-to-know basis. We receive from the Lord what we need to know about his plan at precisely the right moment.
SURRENDER TO GOD’S PLAN
When Moses heard God’s plan, he came to a crossroads moment. Either Moses would listen to the plan and surrender to it, or he would receive the instructions and attempt to refuse to follow them. This crossroads presented an opportunity to reveal faithfulness to the Lord and to worship the Lord in obedience. Moses chose to surrender to the plan of God even though the plan was massive. Moses surrendered by trusting that the plan of the Lord was good, acceptable, and perfect. Thus, Moses did not see the limitations but believed that the Lord would be faithful to his calling.
We must seek to surrender to God’s plan as he calls us and leads us. The calling of the Lord places us at a crossroads when we choose faithfulness or selfishness. When we receive the calling of the Lord through humanity, we become skeptical and do not see how such a massive task could be accomplished. Yet, when we approach the Lord, we may not understand the how or the why, but we find ourselves surrendering to the calling and sold out to obey the Lord.
TRUST GOD’S ABILITY
In Exodus 31, particularly, Moses received more of the story concerning how the task would come to completion. Once Moses made himself and the people available to the Lord, and for the Lord’s service, the Lord provided the needed ability to complete the calling. Moses did not have to do the work of Bezalel or Oholiab because the Lord equipped them to carry out the task. Moses needed to be available to lead toward completing the task, and the Lord provided the skilled labor. Exodus 31 informs us that the Lord empowered them with the Spirit, wisdom, understanding, and ability. They did not deserve these gifts, but being available made them open for God to make them able.
When we receive the calling of the Lord, he desires our availability. We may not have the ability needed to carry out the task, but God does not need our ability but our availability. He takes our availability and makes us able when we have received his calling and surrendered to it. He provides us power through the presence of the Spirit, wisdom, knowledge, and skill to carry out the task. So God is calling you to a God-sized vision? Does the flesh hinder you? Are you hearing the calling and making yourself available so that God can make you able to carry out the work of the Kingdom of God?
