I Am Assigned to You!
Recently, I was in a prayer meeting. The presence of the Lord was rich and the intensity of prayers could be felt as fervent voices were lifted up, in vigor, with worship and requests. Then came the challenge, each member in the prayer meeting was required to call out spontaneously, the name of someone who they desired to be saved, or someone who needed to return to Lord. Like a choir of voices, people began to shout out the names of their loved ones.
I wanted to take this moment very seriously. Finally, a name came to mind; it was the name of someone who had been discouraged, someone I feared would eventually throw in the towel and walk away from the faith. In an instant I was overcome with the thought that calling the person’s name was not enough. Some action must go with faith. Then I heard within my heart, I am assigned to you. That was it! I was assigned to this person. The person whose name I called, I will continue calling until the change needed to bring restoration, to this selected individual takes place.
Peter felt the sorrow of separation from Jesus, after he had denied Him when his relationship with Jesus as a disciple was being questioned. Mark 14:72 states, “And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him. Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.” Can you imagine how embarrassed and how humiliating this moment was for Peter? I am sure that even his relationship with the other disciples might have become uncomfortable. Shortly thereafter, Jesus was crucified and his body hung on the cross as Peter looked on from a distance.
Mary Magdalene and the other ladies went to the tomb and encountered an angel who relayed a message of the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus had completed the purpose for which he came, that was to save mankind, by dying for our sins and then raising from the dead. The angels continued to speak to the women “But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.” (Mark 16:7). Peter was being called back to right his relationship with Christ. The fact that Peter was identified separately from the other disciples meant his situation at this point was different from theirs. The love of God is so great towards his people, that he will call the isolated, the segregated and the dejected out of the prison of their situation, back to the loving arm of their Saviour. He is a God of second chances; His mercies endure forever!
God has the power to change those He calls. An example would be Paul, in Acts 26:14, “ And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Even though the ultimate call comes from God, if we call on Him for the saving or the restoration of our sister or brother, we must ask the Lord for some guidance on how
to apply one-on-one Christian interaction to be a part of this process. Being present and active in the process, allows us to know the person that the Lord has assigned to us. The more knowledge we gain about the assigned, causes us to pray more earnestly on their behalf. Just be there and report to the Lord about the person that God has placed in your heart. It’s not that He doesn’t know what is happening, but rather you taking interest in this soul, may be what moves the hands of God.
Take a moment and consider those in the Bible who took great interest in training others with the willingness to pass-on the mantle to them, or to lead another to Christ. John 4:29 states, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” Anyone can contribute to the building of the kingdom of God. Let’s consider our assignment. Matthew 4:19 states, “ And He saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” If I’ve caused you to think about who you are in Christ, and your potential to advance the kingdom; then I Am Assigned to You. First, you must identify the Assignment; second, know the Assigned; third, persist until the assignment is complete. How will we know when the assignment is complete? I hope to share that with you in Part 3 of this series.