Ask for his help

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. (Matthew 4:18-22 NLT)

I know I have said this before, but it bears repeating: God calls, we obey, and then he equips. We might get that a little backwards on occasion - thinking he needs to equip us with everything we will need to do whatever it is he calls us to do BEFORE we take steps to do it. I have found that it is in the 'doing' he gives us what is needed. The regular, 'common' stuff of everyday life may not seem like it will be enough to do what he has called us to do, but it begins there! These were fishermen - they mended nets, cast out on the waters to find the fish, and then they put those nets in - they were 'equipped' for the task of bringing in fish. Were they equipped for bringing men to God? Nope, but Jesus promised them if they followed, he'd make them into fishers of men!

We might not feel that we 'have what it takes' to do what he has called us to do, but that is okay. It means we will lean on him and not our own talents or abilities quite as much. If we could do everything he asks us to do in our own strength or ability, would we even need his help? Not likely. Being 'needy' when it comes to our 'equipping' is not a bad place to be, is it? It makes us rely on something far greater than what we bring into the situation. When we are put in places or situations where we don't feel like we have what it takes, what do most of us do? We ask for help. That is exactly what these disciples would do over and over again. They'd ask him to explain scripture because they didn't understand it. They'd ask him to show him how to heal the sick because they didn't have that ability themselves.

Too many times, we limit what God can do through us because we don't ask for his help when we need it most. We might not even take that first step because we are afraid he won't come through for us even though we know he is asking us to trust him. The journey begins with the first step, but the equipping may come sometime later in the journey. The moment we commit to the journey, the equipping starts - it may not be 'fully complete' yet, but it has begun. Obedience is the foundation for our equipping - there is no greater 'equipping' we need than our obedience. When God encounters one who is available, willing, and trusting, he finds the exact one he needs to do the exact thing he has in mind. What we may need to do is ask for his help to see that he is equipping us for that very thing he has called us to do. Just sayin!