"I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them; and they shall increase as they once increased." (Zech. 10:8, NKJV).

“As you stand here today, and see the defects of your characters in the light of God’s great moral standard, will you not say, ‘I will redeem the past; I will go to work in the Lord’s vineyard’?” (Ellen White, RH 1889, par.9)

God will do—and has done—everything and anything to reach and save people. God will even “whistle” (Isa. 5:26; Zech.10:8) if that will bring people to Him. A whistle is remarkable since it is shrill and travels over a long distance. A whistle gets people’s attention and makes them look toward the sound. God is willing to whistle to humanity if that will get their attention and bring them back to Him.

 One of my favorite stories in the New Testament about God going to great lengths to seek and reach people who are unreached is found in John 4. This story tells how Jesus heard the whistle of God to go through Samaria.

WOMAN OF SAMARIA 

Jesus is in Jerusalem when He hears some news about the church leaders that is disturbing. He leaves Jerusalem with the intent to go to Galilee. Rather than taking the normal route that every Jew would take, Jesus took an unusual route that went through the cities of Samaria. Scripture tells us: “But He needed to go through Samaria” (John 4:4, NKJV).

JESUS WENT

Jesus said, "I WILL GO!" Jesus at no other time while on Planet Earth so directly and clearly revealed who He really was. Jesus was willing to GO to Earth from heaven. Jesus was willing to GO the most difficult route from Jerusalem to Galilee. Jesus was willing to GO to Jacob’s well to reach the most unlikely person to be a missionary for God. All because Jesus was willing to say, "I WILL GO!"

Jesus was willing to say I WILL GO the hardest, most inconvenient way to Galilee to meet with this woman at a well in the middle of a hot day, not only to reach the woman but also the town where she lived. Jesus knew that this outcast woman of Sychar was interested in Scripture. Jesus was seeking to bring her thinking from the present to the future, and the temporal to the spiritual.

If Jesus was willing to GO to reach out to this solitary outcast woman of Samaria . . .If Jesus was willing to GO the hardest route on His way to Galilee to reach the residents of the city of Sychar . . .then Jesus is willing to reach each one of us at our well of decision. When we choose to be Christ-followers, Jesus will then enlist our help in this outreach and ask each one of us to GO to those within our sphere of influence. Are you willing to tell Jesus, "I WILL GO"? When God whistles, I WILL GO!

- Adapted article from Dennis Carlson, General Conference Planned Giving and Trust Services Director