Ultimate Security: Finding a Refuge in Difficult Times by Derek Prince Read Free Book Online Page B

upon His knowledge of you. He knows you well enough for you to be confident that, by His grace, you can be and do all He has chosen you to be and to do.
    To me, my daughter Jessika is a beautiful picture of God’s choice. For many years, my first wife, Lydia, and I were responsible for a college that trained African teachers in Kenya. We were very busy, and Lydia was well up in years, being somewhat older than I.
    One evening, at about half-past six, a strange group appeared on our doorstep: a white lady and a black African couple. The white lady was carrying a little black baby girl wrapped in a dirty towel. We asked, “Why have you come?”
    They said, “This little girl’s mother died when she was born. A social worker found her on the floor of the hut and took her to the local hospital. They’ve looked after her for six months, but they have now said, ‘This is a hospital and not a children’s home. We can’t keep her any longer.’ We have been going around this part of Kenya for three days looking for a family—Asian, African, or European—that would take this little baby. We heard that you took in children.”
    My wife replied to them, “That was years ago. We’re much too old to do that now. Besides, we’re so busy with our educational work, and we really don’t have any time for a little baby—and a sick baby at that.”
    So, this group of people said, “We’re so tired. Would you let us just sit down for half an hour and rest?” We invited them in, and at the end of the half hour, they got up to go. When they did, the white lady carrying the little baby passed by me. As she went past, the baby stretched out one hand toward me, as if to say, “What are you going to do about me?” I am not a fanciful person, but the baby’s action was so unusual as to be arresting to me.
    At that moment, I looked at my wife. Normally, we would never make a decision like that without talking to each other privately. But I said, “Maybe we’ll change our minds.” Lydia—God bless her—said, “Give me a week to get some baby clothes and a crib, and then bring her back.”
    That is how we got our ninth daughter, who today is a sweet Christian woman serving the Lord. There were millions of African baby girls, and God laid His hand on this one—she was God’s sovereign choice for us. As we will see in the next chapter, God’s choice is due to His predestination. Jessika was predestined by God to become our daughter. I have always been glad that God made that choice and that we responded with the decision to take her.
    Let me close by making what could be a rather controversial statement. Why is it controversial? Because I believe it is the opposite of much of the thinking in the contemporary church. Here it is: God makes His selection. He does not call for volunteers. A lot of people in the church have the idea that they can volunteer for something, and God will accept that. That is not true. God makes His choice, and He does not ask us to volunteer. He simply asks us to respond to His choice.
    Never try to be something God has not chosen you to be.
    It may be that you have never actively responded to God’s calling upon you. This would be an ideal moment to do so. If you would like to respond to God’s call on your life, please make this declaration in simple faith:
    Lord, I thank You that, by Your initiative and foreknowledge, You have called me. I respond positively right now to Your call upon my life. It is not I who have chosen You—it is You who have chosen me. You have a purpose and a plan for my life. I am not an “accident waiting to happen”—I am Your servant, chosen by You and called to do Your will. I acknowledge and gratefully accept the fact that You have chosen me and that You have called me. Thank You, dear Lord. Amen.
    Now that you have taken this very important step of acknowledging God’s call upon your life, we will move ahead in our teaching to stage three of God’s plan for us in