for the King

Being a pastor brings out the worst neuroses in me. I feel responsible for everyone, I assume a “caretaker” role, I’m everyone’s co-dependent. I want to make everyone feel good and feel good about me. The result is that all I hear is complaints, which is to be expected if I’m hyper-vigilant about making people happy. But what’s worse is that I’ll mostly hear complaints if I’m encouraging people to focus on their own desires rather than leading them to follow God. For example, imagine if I were the coach of a football team. If I’m constantly asking the players if they’re comfortable, then I’ll constantly hear about whatever makes them uncomfortable: the pads are too heavy, the sun is too hot, the Gatorade is the wrong flavor. And I’ll spend all my time trying to make adjustments. But if I’m emphasizing winning games, then I’ll make sure water’s available, but I’ll also remind the team “no pain, no gain”.

The famous “prayer of Jabez” is in 1 Chron 4:9-10. Jabez requested blessings and God granted his request. Some see this as a justification for “name it and claim it” theology. But a few verses later (I Chron 4:21-23) another clan within Judah is listed, the sons of Shelah. What are they noted for? “They were the potters who… worked for the king.” Could I be content to be the best potter I could be, knowing that my work was being used by the King? Or would I plead with God, “Enlarge my territory!”

What’s more important than personal accomplishments is the fact that I work for the King of kings. Instead of trying to please everyone, I need to please only one Person. And it doesn’t matter where God places me. If I’m a pastor or a janitor, my calling still comes from God and I have something to contribute to God’s mission in the world. And that should be good enough for me.

I read about the sons of Shelah in the devotional book “Streams in the Desert” (Nov 12) in a selection written by Frances Havergal. She’s the author of the lyrics to “Take my life and let it be” and “Like a river glorious”. It seems that she knew something about consecrating one’s work solely for God’s use and resting in the presence of God. I’m glad that she focused on the sons of Shelah rather than on Jabez. I don’t know why Jabez’ story is included in 1 Chronicles. But I’m glad that the sons of Shelah are there, too.