Oh, no, please do not make me go to that town. I have lived there before, for several months serving on an interim basis, and I really don’t like that place. It is so small. It’s certainly not a place of culture or beauty. The university is only beginning—it is without reputation, without resources.”

Martin Luther was begging his friend and superior Staupitz not to make him move to Wittenberg. The points he mentioned were understandable. He had served in Wittenberg on this temporary assignment teaching in the university and living in the monastery. Duke Frederick wanted to build up a university in the town, but it was just beginning; and Luther had been living in Erfurt, where scholarship flourished. Wittenberg had only about 1,500 to 2,000 people during the early 1500s when Luther was asked to transfer there. The surrounding countryside was not picturesque. Besides, at the time Erfurt was the only city in Germany where it was possible to study both Greek and Hebrew.

What a town Wittenberg was! Of the 400 or so homes in the village, 270 of them had a license to brew beer. In his characteristic manner of speaking, Luther said that the lowliness of the worship area in the church resembled the stall where Jesus was born. He also said that going to Wittenberg was like going into exile.

Without our vantage point in history, without knowing what we know now, we, too, would wonder if this was the right move. How could Luther influence the world, or even Germany, from this small town on the Elbe River?

Then, too, there was no way for Luther to encompass all the work that had been assigned to him. He was asked to preach, to be a pastor and teacher, and to work for the good of his order of priests. How could one person work for the advancement of the Reformation when he had so much work to accomplish right there in Wittenberg every day?

Erfurt, where Luther had been living, was a beautiful city of hills, streams, and woods, where the spires of many churches could be seen. High on the tallest hill stood the most imposing cathedral of all. One could sense the awe and majesty of God while climbing the steps from the city to the church.

But God was in the plan. It was in the small, unpromising town of Wittenberg that Martin Luther took time for prayer and meditation. And Ellen White observed, “From the secret place of prayer came the power that shook the world in the Great Reformation” (The Great Controversy, p.210). The books and pamphlets Luther wrote there were printed and scattered all over Germany. Within two weeks after they were released in Wittenberg, they could be read by the Waldenses in their villages in the Alps of northern Italy. From this small village God spoke through Luther to the world. Think about this little man. Then think aboutyour own life.

Think about this little man. Then think about your own life. What is God calling you to do? Can you do that where you are, or is God calling you to some other form of ministry in some other location?

Like Martin Luther, be fully dedicated, fully active for God. Whether you are working to the full and more withmany opportunities or you are secluded at home with seemingly few opportunities, God can use you. Wherever you find yourself, God can use you. I don’t know what He has planned for you, but our God takes people from all walks of life, from any place at all, and uses them. Today He will use you if you allow Him. Won’t you invite Him to come into your life again, right now?

Just pray, “Jesus, take my life. Use it any way You choose.”

That’s my prayer too!