CALLED SINCE BIRTH

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Listen to Me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called Me; from My mother’s womb He has spoken My name.

Isaiah 49:1

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Back in the day when the gender of a child was not known before the time of birth, a popular phrase exclaimed as the baby emerged from its mother’s womb was “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” It would mark the start of a celebration of life for the parents and their child as they nurtured he or she into adulthood where they might be parents themselves, repeating the cycle of joyful birth followed by years of teaching and developing their children.

Now, I’m not sure what they might have proclaimed back in biblical days when a child was born into the world but I’m pretty sure they didn’t say “It’s a servant!” any more than people would say today. And yet, as we will see in the opening single verse from Isaiah 49, the coming Messiah and Savior of the world, Jesus, boldly states even before He was born that this was His purpose from the time of birth. Look at His words here:

Listen to Me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called Me; from My mother’s womb He has spoken My name.  Isaiah 49:1

First, we need to look at the audience Jesus is speaking to. Much of the world was undiscovered and thus unknown by the people of His times but He was well aware of all creation as He was one with God, His Father who created it all. There were many lands that were distant, inhabited by people who would need salvation as much as the people of Israel who He would grow up and live among. Jesus came for all to save all and so His audience was global in nature. Today, He still serves and saves regardless of nationality.

The second takeaway from this, and the key one for this devotion, is that the Lord Jesus was called before He was born. We need only go back to this account from the Gospel of Luke:

 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38

Jesus had not yet been conceived in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit and yet His purposes were already set by His Father. He would be the Son of God and would reign over His Father’s kingdom forever. Indeed, He is not only our Savior but our Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14), granted that authority over heaven and earth by God (Matthew 28:18). In other words, His service to God’s people was pre-established and pre-ordained.

Friends, we never really look at ourselves as called to servitude from birth but the fact of the matter is that we are just that. Look at these words to the prophet Jeremiah:

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5

Set apart before he was formed in the womb for a particular purpose. That is the truth about Jeremiah and it’s the truth about each and every person the God creates. We aren’t some haphazard genetic formation of flesh, blood, and bone. No, each of us is perfectly and wonderfully made for amazing purposes, crafted by a remarkable and magnificent Creator. For the Lord tells us:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

Friends, the scriptures are truth and today they are telling us that we have been called since birth to carry out the Lord’s will and way in service to Him and others. He knew the plans He had for us before we were made. Our lives were laid out on His divine blueprint, destined for prosperity and hope for the future.

Given this, all we need to do is to turn to Him, following His direction and guidance in submissive obedience and trust each and every day. Let’s not make life hard but rather live it out as the Lord designed it for us before we were conceived.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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