So, dear reader, the next time the Lord calls you down a path, don’t doubt His sovereignty. He knows you are not ready... But that doesn’t mean that He is not going to use you to change the world and part seas in His name.
For so long, I have prefaced every plan for my life with a sense of readiness. Being ready meant being in control. And to be honest, I was good at being in control. I was even better at being ready for any and everything that could come my way. As I approached my senior year of college, I told myself that I would utilize my last bit of time in undergrad to prepare and get ready for the next big life step. And I did, but I also hit a huge roadblock. A sweet, blue-eyed boy had made his way into my life. He was the kind of boy that you know if you date him, you’ll end up marrying him. And I wasn’t ready.
Fast-forward eight months, and I was driving away from my family and my home. I had told all of my friends goodbye and hugged my parents and sister so tight that I probably suffocated them for a few seconds. With tears in my eyes and the hand of the aforementioned blue-eyed boy holding mine, I drove 12 hours away from everyone and everything I had ever known. I was going to pursue my dream. But I wasn’t ready.
Leap another six months ahead, and I am sitting around the table with my family in tears as I tell them I hate my new city and I don’t think my dream is all it was cracked up to be. My dad very gently told me to come home. I needed to uproot my new life and leave what I thought was my dream for an unknown future. And guess what? I wasn’t ready.
Now, I sit in the presence of my Father with a new dream, a new plan, and a future I can hardly wait to embark on. But as excited as I am about the things to come, I am in no way ready. There is no possible way I could truly be qualified enough to obtain these dreams. As I sit and wonder if I am cut out for all of this, I remember one of my closest friends talking to me about her new nursing job. I watched her spend years studying, praying, and working. I saw her put in 12-hour clinical shifts day after day. Yet, she looked at me when she officially began her new adventure and said, “I feel like an imposter.” She wasn’t ready.
We Weren't Called to Be Fully Prepared Upfront
Dear reader, I know at this point you are probably wondering why I just wasted 446 words to tell you of two young females who, in the end, weren’t ready, but did it anyway. Well, the reason being is that there is something in all of our lives that we aren’t ready to embark upon. Some for good reason. There may be financial or health issues in the way. Maybe it just isn’t time. But for others, the only factor that isn’t prepared is you.
God never asked people if they were ready. In fact, He kind of did the opposite. In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her that she has been chosen to be the mother of the Christ. Gabriel never looked at Mary and said, “Are you ready?”. Instead, he told her that she had found favor with God. And Mary (who I’m sure was astonished) said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me” (Luke 1:38). Mary is believed to have been around 13 years old at the time. And she lived in a culture that would kill women by stoning if they were found to be unfaithful to their husbands or their betrothed. Even though Mary was still a virgin and had not betrayed her betrothed, Joseph, the town would still demand her life. I am sure that 13-year-old Mary was not ready for all the hardship she was to endure.
Nor was her soon-to-be husband, Joseph. Imagine being engaged to this amazing person you are so excited to spend the rest of your life with, only to find out that they allegedly have had an affair and now will be the disgrace of the town. Then, an angel appears to you in the middle of the night and tells you that your fiancé did not cheat on you and the baby is actually the Son of God, and you still need to get married. Yeah. I’m sure Joseph wasn’t ready for all of that, either. But by accepting the will of God, even when he was in no way prepared, he got to embark on the journey and honor of a lifetime!
Aside from the parents of Jesus, think of Moses. This leader traveled far with a groaning people behind him. They embarked on trials and adventures. God used this man to introduce the world to the Ten Commandments. He spoke to Moses using a burning bush and parted the Red Sea through him. While I can’t be sure, I feel as if Moses was probably not ready to lead a nation and see all the wonders that lay before him. After all, he brought plenty of complaints and excuses before God:
"Moses said to the Lord, 'Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.'”
But despite his fear and feelings of inadequacy, he obeyed God anyway.
A Warning Against Jumping Ahead
Now, there is a difference in not being ready to fulfill your calling and jumping ahead of God. We live in a culture that requires things on demand. We want food now? Go to the drive-thru. Don’t want to drive, but you want food now? Doordash. These are just two feeble examples of our fast-paced culture. But, it is easy to mistake “the hustle” for running through a door God hasn’t opened yet. This is why I say to pray before every decision. Don’t think that not being ready for an opportunity is always a necessary precursor.
But to the reader who knows God is calling you to a path that you are not ready to embark on, take peace in the fact that He is a loving, kind God. Yes, He is just and mighty, but He is also tender and patient. You do not have to be perfectly prepared when you begin to travel along the path God sets before you; you just have to follow Him.
There’s a saying that goes, “God does not call the equipped, He equips the called.” Sadly, I do not know who coined the saying, but I encourage you to really listen to whomever the author may be. When God says it’s time to act, you don’t list back your lack of qualifications or experience). You say, “Here I am, Lord, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
Don't Doubt God's Sovereignty
So, dear reader, the next time the Lord calls you down a path, don’t doubt His sovereignty. He knows you are not ready, and He knows you are not prepared. But that doesn’t mean that He is not going to use you to change the world and part seas in His name. Use the fear that accompanies new adventures as a tool to draw closer to the Lord. Have intimate conversations with Him about your doubts and your feelings of unpreparedness. And then watch how God uses you to fulfill His loving and perfect plan.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Erstudiostok
Olivia Lauren is a graduate student passionate about Scripture, particularly the Book of Romans showcasing God's grace. Outside her studies, she enjoys teaching her dog new tricks and finding quicker ways to silence the smoke alarm after trying a new recipe.
