Called for a Purpose
Called by God
1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus1, his anointed one,
whose right hand he will empower.
4 “And why have I called you for this work?
Why did I call you by name when you did not know me?
It is for the sake of Jacob my servant,
Israel my chosen one.
– Isaiah 45:1,4 NLT – Bible Gateway
Perhaps you may remember from the Bible when the prophet Daniel declared God’s word to the king of Babylon that his empire would be “divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.2” King Cyrus was the person who conquered Babylon.
God chose to promote Cyrus for the good of Israel. The Israelites had been conquered by Babylon and forcibly relocated to the Babylonian empire. But God chose Cyrus, and he defeated the Median Empire, the Lydian Empire, and the Babylonian Empire. Then, he allowed the Israelites to return to their land, and he provided the money for their relocation and reconstruction efforts.
Why did God choose to use a Gentile to restore the Israelites? Why did God give Isaiah the prophecy, “I equip you [Cyrus], though you do not know me.3” A common message throughout the Bible is that God prospers the lost for the good of His children. For example:
16 “Evil people may have piles of money
and may store away mounds of clothing.
17 But the righteous will wear that clothing,
and the innocent will divide that money.
– Job 27:16–17 NLT – Bible Gateway
More Than History
You may say, “Well, that’s a nice history lesson but what does that have to do with me?” You have the same banker that the exiled Israelites had. Where God guides, He provides. God is very particular. His Word states, “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.4”
God is more than able to “ …supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.5 So, no matter where He leads you or what assignment He gives you, with God, it is never about available funds or resources. It is always about faith and His will. When we know His will, and we know He has called us to the task, the depth of our faith in God determines whether God’s will is done through us or through someone else.
Good News
Every person called by God was called for a reason, for a purpose6. Our Lord has never promised that we will always see the successes that He accomplishes through our lives, but that’s okay. It’s not in our strength that God is glorified. He works in and through our weaknesses7.
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- Wikipedia contributors. (2023, August 29). _Cyrus the Great_. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyrus_the_Great&oldid=1172843403 ↩︎
- Bible Gateway passage: Daniel 5:26–28 – Authorized (King James) Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%205%3A26–28&version=AKJV ↩︎
- Bible Gateway passage: Isaiah 45:5 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2045%3A5&version=ESV [8]: Bible Gateway passage: Isaiah 42:8 – New Living Translation. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2042%3A8&version=NLT ↩︎
- Bible Gateway passage: Isaiah 42:8 – New Living Translation. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2042%3A8&version=NLT ↩︎
- Bible Gateway passage: Philippians 4:19 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204%3A19&version=ESV ↩︎
- Bible Gateway passage: Ephesians 2:10 – New Living Translation. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202%3A10&version=NLT ↩︎
- Bible Gateway passage: 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 – New International Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%2012%3A9–10&version=NIV ↩︎