The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded. – Exodus 35:29
An elderly widow, restricted in her activities, was eager to serve Christ. After praying about this, she realized that she could bring blessing to others by playing the piano. The next day she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune: “Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent—the service is free.” The notice included the number to dial. When people called, she would ask, “What hymn would you like to hear?” Within a few months, her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them.
At times, we may feel that we do not know how God wants us to serve Him. Perhaps we are at a stage in life when we do not see unsaved people very often, and as a consequence it seems there is no opportunity for us to be used by God. Or, we may think our talents are not good enough for God. Both of those excuses are wrong, and so is every other justification for not serving Him. God can always use a willing heart.
In every stage of life, God has a purpose for us. Each day He has a plan for you and me that He wants us to accomplish. If we do not know exactly what God is asking of us, we can get a good idea by looking at where He has placed us in this world, and what talents He has given to us. Someone needs to reach out to our unsaved family, neighbors, business associates, and community members—who better than ourselves? And how else could we reach them besides using the skills God has given us and helped us to develop? Finding our place in God’s service is not as complicated as it may seem!
It is a relief and a blessing to know that our God-ordained purpose in life will revolve around abilities and interests He has put in our hearts. Through prayer, He will direct us into the exact ministry He wants us to have.