| Today I want to talk to you about “making the call.” Sometimes you need to reach out for help. Whether you’re a self-made person or you’re just shy and don’t want to ask, there are lots of reasons why we don’t reach out to others for help. Yet I want to encourage you today: go ahead, make the call, reach out—you never know what might happen.
In fact, I had an experience just this week where I made a call that was difficult for me. That’s actually why I’m wearing this jacket. This week, I was up at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, one of the top-tier ballet companies in the world. A friend had said to me, “Eric, you should really get together with this other friend I have who’s at the Joffrey Ballet. You guys have some mutual interests, and I think it’d be great for you to talk.” So I finally reached out and said, “Hey, I’m going to be in Chicago. I wonder if you’d want to get together.” He said, “Sure!” We spent over an hour just talking on Wednesday, sharing some of our mutual visions, plans, and thoughts. It was very exciting to be in that conversation. Who knows what might come of it? But we both love producing things, making things, and creating things. It’s great to be with others who can help you collaborate and think through your projects. I just want to encourage you to do that. There’s a line I love from the TV show When Calls the Heart. Two characters are talking, and one says to the other:
That can apply to any of us. We all need help at times, and I want to encourage you to make the call. On this topic, I want to read you a chapter from a book I wrote called 365 Daily Devotions with Eric Elder. This book includes one devotion for every day of the year. It’s a compilation of over a dozen of my books, and you can read one chapter a day from each book. The chapter I’m going to read today is called Making the Call. It’s from my book Exodus: Lessons in Freedom. This is Lesson 46: “Make the Call to All Who Are Willing and Skilled.” You can keep reading below, or watch the podcast here, where I also share a song, “Trust in God,” and a prayer. |
“Making the Call to All Who are Willing And Skilled”
from 365 Daily Devotions with Eric Elder
If God has put a vision on your heart to do something for Him, I want to encourage you today to take a step of faith. Make the call to all who are willing and skilled to help you do what God wants done.
If you’re like me, asking for help is one of the hardest parts of carrying out God’s will. But I’m encouraged by what I read in Exodus chapter 35. Here we see that Moses has come down from the mountain with a detailed vision in mind for what God wanted him to do next: to build an incredible place of worship for Him. Now it’s time for Moses to ask the people for their help, to see if they will provide the resources and labor to make it happen. How will he ask them, and how will they respond? Let’s take a look.
In Exodus 35:4–10, Moses says to the whole Israelite community:
“This is what the Lord has commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; and fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red, and hides of sea cows; acacia wood, olive oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded.”
He calls on all who are willing and skilled to give to the work and to get involved in the project. Now, let’s look at the response.
In Exodus 35:21–29, it says:
“Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting for all its services, and for the sacred garments. All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the Lord freewill offerings for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.”
In the end, God stirred the hearts of so many people that they had to be restrained from giving more. Here’s what it says in Exodus 36:6–7:
“Then Moses gave an order, and they sent this word throughout the camp: ‘No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.’ And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.”
I love this. When I first read this passage, I wondered what it must feel like to see people give and get involved to such an extent that they had to be restrained from giving any more.
When I came back to this passage to teach it to others, I was in the middle of raising funds for five of us to go on a missions trip to Africa. Up to that point, I had often questioned whether we’d even be able to raise enough for one person to go, let alone five. I took encouragement from this passage and kept pressing on. In the final weeks before our trip, I found myself having to tell people not to give any more to the trip because we had already raised all that we needed for all five of us to go.
We can sometimes look at a passage like this—or even hear a story like I just told—and feel either discouraged or encouraged, wondering why it’s not happening to us or looking forward to when it will happen. My encouragement to you is to make the call. Make the call to all who are willing to help you carry out the vision God has put on your heart.
As Christians, God has entrusted us with great visions, great plans, and great ways to reach the world for Him. God wants us to step out in faith, make the call, and ask people to give and get involved in doing what God wants done.
Make the call.
I’d love to pray with you.
Father, thank You for this beautiful day, for this beautiful time together, and for this time to be encouraged by Your Word. Thank You for the words of Moses from thousands of years ago, for stories from today, and for how You’ve been working in my life and in others’ lives just this week.
Lord, thank You that Jesus is still alive, still real, and still active. Thank You that He puts us together with people who can help us accomplish Your will here on earth.
Help us to be willing to make the call. Help us to reach out to others for help, even when it’s hard. Lord, give us the courage to ask, even if the person says no, or if it’s not the right person the first, second, or third time. Keep leading us to people who are willing and skilled to contribute to the work You are doing here on earth.
Lord, we love You and thank You for everything You’ve done for us. Thank You for the past—for what You did thousands of years ago and for what You’ve done in my life over the years, like raising funds for that mission trip. Thank You for what You’re doing now, like connecting me with someone just this week who said yes to having a conversation.
Thank You for everything You’re doing in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Thanks for reading today! If you’d like to get a copy of the whole book, 365 Daily Devotions with Eric Elder, you can get a paperback, ebook, audiobook, and even hardcover from inspiringbooks.com.
These devotionals make great gifts for others or for yourself! I hope they’ll encourage you in your faith on a daily basis.
Have a GREAT week!
The Ranch 