Claimed by God

Did you know that every bit of Scripture can apply to our lives?

     Maybe not every verse right this second. Maybe not in the way we expect. But that's what it's for, to help us grow, to teach us how to live, to shape us over time.

    Even an Old Testament book like Numbers.

Even our two chapters today. Reading Numbers 3 hit me in a way I didn't expect. On the surface it's another chapter about roles and assignments. The Levites, Aaron and his sons, Who does what, Who carries what, Who belongs where. It would be easy to skim through it and feel like it doesn't apply to our lives.

    But the more read and listened to Holy spirit, the more I realized this isn't just about organizing people into categories of Who does what.

      It's about ownership. God literally says the Levites are His. He takes them in place of the firstborn. It's like He's saying, "These are Mine." They're Set apart for him called to do this work. And that's not how we usually talk about calling. We talk about calling like it's a gift or a dream or something exciting and don't get me wrong, on some level it is and it should be seen as that.

    But Numbers 3 reads more like surrendering to it. Aaron and his sons were appointed to the priesthood. It ran through their family line. It was specific and It was intentional. And that sent my mind straight to my own family. Ive been digging in to my own family line lately. I Found out that one ancestor was a well digger. Another founded a church and was a minister. And before that I had already heard God tell me that I was a well digger, that I was called to dig deep wells. To re-dig deep wells dug before me.

    And I know I'm not the only one in my family who has felt the call of God. Others have felt it. Talked about it. Been drawn to it.

But they never fully picked it up. Never fully built their lives around it.

    And I say that gently,not in judgment because I understand why. Calling is heavy.

It rearranges things. It costs you something. It costs you everything.

    Last night I was watching a movie, and two characters were at this pivotal moment where surrender was the only way forward. One of them said, “I haven't had to surrender in a while.” The other replied, "Don't worry it'll come back to you."

     That line stayed with me.Because surrender does come back around. You can avoid it. Delay it for a moment. But eventually, if God has put His hand on something in your life, surrender shows back up at your door.

   Before Israel moved forward, Before the battles, Before they stepped into the promise...God claimed people. He set them apart. He assigned them. And assignments from God always require us to surrender.

Not just once, but Over and over again.

     Maybe others in my family felt the call but never fully surrendered to it. Maybe it sat there for a generation or two. But now it’s come back around. God is showing me that the Generational call on my family did not die. That mantles may have laid dormant till now but it was always there.

      And now its my turn. Not because I'm better. But because obedience is required in every generation and I'm choosing to say yes and raising my sons to understand that call that is in us. One is already stepping into the Ministry. He's watched his parents example of walking in that calling since he was born and feels the call on his own life.

    Everyone wasn't called to fight the same way. But everyone had a role. That role might look different than you expected. For some, it’s leading from the front, preaching, teaching, building something visible. For others, it's guarding the atmosphere, praying quietly, holding things together behind the scenes, an intercessor. Some carry structure. Some dig wells. Some raise the next generation and pass down faith at the dinner table. Some stand steady when others are wavering.

   In Numbers 3 and 4, the Ark mattered but so did the poles that carried it. The sacred objects mattered but so did the curtains and the framework that held everything in place. None of it was random or small. And neither is whatever God has placed in your heart.

     And maybe yours like mine isn't just about feeling called. Maybe it's about finally surrendering to it.

Even if you haven't had to in a while.

Don't worry.

It'll come back to you.

Love Pastor Mandy

Ark of Hope Ministry 

Daily reading Numbers 3-4