ENCOURAGED in Every Season: Chosen and Called by Jesus’ Invitation (Part 4 of 12)

In this ENCOURAGED series, I am passionate about you knowing your Faithful God in every season of your life. As you seek Jesus daily, I desire you to grow in your faith and relationship with Him so you can joyfully embrace Him as your true Encourager and proclaim His faithfulness to others. I pray that you would hold on to the hope and peace found only in Christ and learn how to embrace whatever season you are presently in your life, bringing glory to Him.   

Continuing with the ENCOURAGED acrostic, the third practical way to be encouraged is knowing you are:

C~CHOSEN AND CALLED BY JESUS’ INVITATION

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1

A grace-filled, love-bound envelope awaits you with your name, followed by My Beloved, written specifically for you. Who is it from? Do you have the courageous faith to open it?

Longing for a word of encouragement, your curiosity peeks within your heart and mind, compelling you to open it!

The Hand-embossed invitation beautifully reads:

You, My Beloved, have been invited to a dance of faith.

Today is the day, the time is now.

Come as you are—all is provided for you!

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28,29

The invitation reads on…

“You are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you…

Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made…

So that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.” Isaiah 43:4,7,10

The choice is ours to accept this gracious invitation from Jesus—King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To gift us with this invitation cost Him everything—His very life laid down for us so that He could call us by name unto Himself.

For me, His call on my life was irresistible. For when He summoned and called me by name, this Truth overwhelmed my heart with joy and gratitude and compelled me to come, looking unto Jesus alone by faith alone by His grace. Knowing I am His and He is mine fulfills my purpose in this life and for all eternity. I was created by Him and for Him to joyfully dance with Him forever—accepted as His Beloved, His bride. “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22).

Can you imagine that the Creator of the Universe—the One who made you and knew you before the foundation of the world—is calling you, has chosen you, and summons you by name? This Truth from God’s Word surpasses our understanding. The Creator desires and delights to dance this life with you, longing to lead you every step of the way.

You were made to dance this life with Him, for His purposes and for His glory. “All things were created by Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

Learning we cannot navigate this dance on our own is the beginning step of faith. As we look to Jesus alone, He gifts us with a new faith, a new heart, and new eyes to see. God sovereignly draws us to Himself, enabling us to come to Him and accept His invitation by faith.

Mystery abides within the dance of faith. God Himself instantaneously and miraculously changes our hearts to desire to follow His leading. He alone enables us to turn from trusting in our ourselves and others to trusting Him. He gives us the grace and faith to turn and believe in Him as Savior and Lord.

He chooses us, calls us, changes our hearts, and graciously entrusts us with the faith to come to Him. At this point, this new faith dance, sovereignly choreographed by Him, begins. He faithfully leads, we simply follow by faith. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

I love the analogy of our faith journey being a dance with Jesus. We are invited to follow the lead of Another—not ourselves, this world, or others around us, but simply follow Jesus. As Christians, we are followers—following the lead of Another, namely, Jesus Christ. Leaning in to Him and following His lead in every aspect of our lives becomes the natural bent of our hearts. We simply trust and obey.

You will only follow the lead of the One you trust.

You cannot trust Someone you do not know. Therefore, getting in His Word and learning to know Jesus—His character and His ways—is key. Trusting His lead and relinquishing control comes from the confidence you place in Him, believing Him. Learning to cease our striving—being still and knowing He is God—enables us to rest all our cares and concerns on Him as we let Him have His way in our lives. The true peace and joy He gives follows this surrender. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). 

The beautiful invitation before us as His daughters and sons is to accept His gift and follow His lead in all our steps, acknowledging Him and His authority, as He faithfully leads us all of our days. Even when the steps are unknown, we can lean in to Him, trusting Him to lead and show us what to do. All that is needed is a humble heart willing to submit to His leading in this dance of faith, turning from trusting in all others to trusting in Him alone.

Along the way, missteps and stumbles are inevitable, but in the end, each season following Him becomes a unique, significant part of our faith dance together with Jesus.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6