Twenty-five years ago, I vividly remember sitting on a hillside and wrestling with the question, “What is my calling from God?”
I wanted to know what I was supposed to do with the rest of my life, and I hoped that if I sat quietly for long enough, God would tell me.
God didn’t speak to me in an audible voice or give me an immediate sense of knowing what to do. However, he began showing me how to find his will over time.
If you’re wrestling with this question today, I invite you to join me as we explore practical ways to step into God’s calling.
What Is My Calling From God?
The wren returned this summer, and she chatters gleefully from the spruce tree as morning paints a cobalt sky.
“What do you want to show me today?” I quietly pray.
I’m met with only birdsong—no spontaneous thoughts or otherworldly impressions—and I wonder if I’m trying too hard. Then, breaking through the chorus of the birds, the following words come to mind: This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
“Yes, this sounds like Your voice,” I whisper.
My soul expands—finds childlike joy as I embrace this summer season. I immediately recognize my calling for today: Enjoy God’s gifts today.
God’s Calling
I’ve spent much of my life grappling with the idea of a calling. Meanwhile, God’s calling is often less complicated than we make it. His calling is about how we live more than what we spend our time doing.
Let’s look at seven truths about finding our callings from God.
What Is My Calling From God:
1. Your calling is to give your best effort as you undertake what God has set before you today.
What is God calling you to do today? Is he asking you to get out of bed and go to work or school? Will this be another day spent caring for your family?
You can find God’s will for tomorrow by giving your best effort in today’s work. This work might not feel like the sweet spot of your calling in life, but God will use it to prepare your heart for what lies ahead.
Simply put, when you do what you know God is calling you to do today, he will give you the direction you need for tomorrow.
I’ve been known to hurry ahead of God, to take 20 steps when God only asked me to take two. (Join me here for details.) I’ve been known to turn a nudge from God into a full-blown 30-step action plan and dive in without looking back. This leads to the second truth . . .
2. God is calling you to wait patiently for him.
There aren’t clear-cut rules for stepping out in faith and following the directives of God without missteps. In fact, God even uses our missteps as part of the journey.
Meanwhile, most of us don’t wait well.
As you wait for God’s guidance, give the next endeavor time to unfold before you. Ask God to help you wait for him to open the next door of opportunity. Keep doing the work set before you each day as you wait.
I’ve learned not to rush into new endeavors. This gives me time to seek wise counsel, pray it through, and see if the excitement dissipates.
It’s easy to confuse our strong emotions with God’s voice. I’ve learned that giving new endeavors time helps me determine whether I was sensing God’s direction or feeling only human excitement. Excitement wears off. God’s calling generally becomes stronger with time.
3. God won’t tell you what to do next until you obey what he has already told you.
A few years ago, I had a big decision to make. I was hashing it out with a friend, and she said something like this: “It sounds like you already know what God is leading you to do. God hasn’t gone silent. He already told you what to do, and now he’s waiting for you to do it.”
Sometimes God graciously confirms our decisions and sends miraculous signs. More often, he waits for us to do what he already asked us to do.
Have you been putting off a step of obedience? Until you obey God in this area, he won’t show you what step to take next.
4. God will call you to step out in wisdom.
At times, I’ve tried to determine God’s calling by asking for miraculous signs. As I’ve grown in faith, I’ve learned that God rarely gives me these signs. Instead, he gives wisdom.
More often than not, a simple, three-word question will lead to the best answer when it comes to finding direction. The question is this: “Is it wise?”
God gave us common sense for making decisions. Ask God for wisdom. Talk to wise people. God always leads us in wisdom.
5. Your calling from God will align with Scripture.
God will lead you as you encounter him in his written Word.
Make Bible reading a part of your everyday routine, and God will use this practice to help you answer the question, “What does God want me to do with my life?”
God will never lead you to do something that does not align with Scripture. For this reason, spend time in the Word. Connect with God and learn who he is. In the process, he will align your heart with his heart and give you his vision.
6. Other people can help you step into your calling from God.
Conversations with others can guide our lives.
Spend time with people who know you well. Ask them to help you discern where God might be leading you. Ask them for wisdom. These people can help you find ways to use your passions to help others.
This leads to our last point.
7. Your calling will use your greatest passions to help others.
What do you love doing more than anything else? What fills you with life and makes you feel purposeful?
Ask God to show you how to use this passion to help others. He wants to lead you down a path that is wholly fulfilling, a path that brings him glory. Keep seeking this path and trust that he will show you the way in his perfect timing.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by LEEROY Agency from Pixabay
