[b]A Splendid Example of a Young Man Who Responded to God’s Call at the Age of 30[/b]
[i]by Zac Poonen[/i]

Ezekiel was the son of a priest who was training to be a
priest (Ezekiel 1:3). But when he was 30 years old, God
suddenly called him to be a prophet (Ezekiel 1:1). We may
plan for a certain ministry, but God may call us to
something totally different. And then we must be willing,
like Ezekiel, to drop everything and to accept whatever God
calls us to. The life of a priest is actually much safer
than that of a prophet’s. Priests were not usually killed
but the prophets invariably were. A prophet also has a very
tough time, because not only does he suffer at the hands of
the people, but God’s hand also is heavy on him most of the
time. Ezekiel would not have undergone all that, if he had
been a priest. There are certain ministries in God’s kingdom
that involve more suffering than others. The Lord told
Peter, “When you are old, someone will take you where you
won’t like to go” – indicating how Peter would suffer for
the faith. But Peter immediately, pointing to John, asked
the Lord, “What about him? Will he also suffer like me?” But
the Lord replied, “That is none of your business. You just
follow Me.” (John.21:18-23). If God calls you to a ministry
which involves suffering, don’t look at anybody else. Don’t
worry about whether they have an easy time or not. That is
none of your business. Ezekiel responded immediately. Thank
God he responded. If he had not responded we might never
have heard of him. If Hudson Taylor had not responded when
God called him to go to China, if C.T.Studd had not
responded when God called him to go to Africa, if Jim Elliot
had not responded when God called him to go to South
America, we might never have heard of these men. But they
responded as soon as God called them.

The thirtieth year seems to be a very significant time in
people’s lives – both in the Old and New Testaments. Joseph
was 30 when he became ruler in Egypt. David was 30 when he
became king. Jesus was 30 when He began His earthly
ministry. Most of the apostles were around 30 when they
began their ministry. And Ezekiel too was 30 when he began
his ministry. Even today, it is probably around that age
that God wants to begin to lead his children into the
specific ministry that He has for them. But prior to that
date, God has to spend many years in preparing us for that
specific ministry. If you surrender to God totally and allow
Him to prepare you during your teens and twenties, then you
can be ready by the time you are 30 (or 35), for that
specific ministry that God has planned for you. But a lot of
young people are impatient and unwilling to wait. I am not
saying that you cannot go out and serve God before you are
30 years old. You can start serving God even when you are16.
But in your early years, God has to keep you under authority
in order to guide you and protect you. But many young people
chafe under such submission to authority and, as a result,
are never broken and prepared for the ministry that God
has planned for them. Even Jesus needed that training
to submit to Joseph and Mary for 30 years before He
entered into His ministry. How much more we? Ezekiel must
have submitted to Jeremiah, in his younger days. He must
have listened to Jeremiah’s prophecies and studied them as a youth.
God Who saw the faithfulness of this young man, decided that
Ezekiel would be a prophet and not a priest.

One day, God opened the heavens over Ezekiel and gave him
visions of Himself and a message for His people. “The hand
of the Lord came upon him” - that expression occurs seven
times in Ezekiel. It meant that Ezekiel could not do what he
wanted to do. It was like God saying to him, “Now, you have
to go where I want you to go.” We can all live like this all
our lives, if we want to, with the heavens open over us all
the time. That will be easy, if you allow the hand of the
Lord to be upon you, if you keep your conscience clean, if
you humble yourself and fear of the Lord! At times, we are
told that when the hand of the Lord was upon him, Ezekiel
went “in the rage of his spirit” (Ezekiel 3:14). He did not
feel like going, but he went because he had submitted his
life totally to God.

A true servant of God does not live by his feelings. It’s
not question of whether he feels like going, when God calls
him to go. Those who serve themselves live by their
feelings. But those who serve God go whether they feel like
going or not. They move because the hand of the Lord is upon them.

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon