ON THE VANGUARD

JOB OPENING
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you…”
II Chronicles 20:17a

Recently I was looking over open positions within the company I currently work for. I have no intention of changing my position, but was curious as to if openings for my department were available to others. Sure enough I found a few new openings posting on the web site. So then, I decided to look at the qualifications for a new person coming into the company. For my position it read:
• Knowledge of Batch Health care Medical/Hospital/Dental claim EDI transactions.
• Switch and payer requirements as it relates to edits and mapping.
• Knowledge of Mainframe and UNIX based platforms.
• Knowledge of NSF and ANSI Formats.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• 3+ years experience in a call center or technical desk.
• Associates degree preferred
Having been at this company and in this position for almost eight years now, I find this list of requirements to be a true statement. If I was looking at this, though, as a newcomer, I would be overwhelmed by the lack of what I do not know. But it was this very thought that inspired the truth I want to share with you today.
Do you want to know the requirements and job qualifications of being a follower of God? I see it when I think of Moses. It can just as easily be seen in the account of Isaiah, in Isaiah 6. It is seen also in the account of King David, Esther, Daniel, Jeremiah, Abraham, and Paul. All these pillars in our faith worked for God, and they all met the single requirement and qualification needed for the job. Are you ready for it? They were surrendered. Think about it. They had no skills outside of God. David was a shepherd. Shepherds do not usually become kings. Paul was over zealous rabbi who wanted all Christ-followers dead, and yet he started working for God and wrote most of the New Testament. Isaiah had unclean lips, but once touched with the coal of God’s fire, he began speaking God’s Word. Moses stuttered, Esther feared death, Ruth almost returned home instead of going with Naomi, Daniel was set up, Jeremiah was kid, and Abraham was an old man. But what one thing did they all have in common? They all surrendered to God.
I have been thinking lately about this word, ‘surrender’. With all that is going on around me these days I sometimes question if I am fully surrendered to God, or just going through the motions. I also question if I am living in fear, therefore not allowing myself to apply with a whole heart for the job opening God has. My spirit knows that anything that comes my way, God in me is big enough to overcome. My mind, however, fears that if something too big comes my way, I in my own strength will not be able to overcome, therefore becoming a failure. The question I ask myself then, is what would I do if I knew I would not fail? I could write a list of things, honestly.
So perhaps I have been afraid to apply for this position in error. If the only qualification and requirement is simply that I surrender, not that I sit and brew over what may or will come, then perhaps I am more qualified than I thought. God only needs me. More accurately, God only asks for all of me. With a little He can do a lot. With a lot He can blow my mind. I was made for this job. I was made to work under His banner, His company, doing His will, and trusting that His results will come. But I’ll never know all that if I do apply for the position.