How Do You Know God’s Calling for Your Life?
How do we know God’s calling for our lives? Many Christians wrestle with questions about purpose, career, relationships, and waiting on God’s timing. While modern culture pressures us to figure out our future as quickly as possible, the Bible presents a different pattern: one where obedience, humility, and faithful service prepare us for the purpose God has ordained.
I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel. Psalm 32:8
In these modern days, where money and career have become the cornerstone of our existence, mankind has become desperate in its search for purpose. From the moment we go to school, we prepare ourselves for a career that will (hopefully) support our family and may even give us some sense of fulfillment. It is therefore no surprise that this same endeavor is reflected in the prayers of Christians worldwide. A heart that wants to dedicate everything to God will naturally ask Him to reveal the way in which they should go. For instance, we may ask Him to reveal to us what we should study, where we should work, whom we should work with, and the spouse we should have beside us through all of this. Although this prayer comes from a desire to please God, it is easy to make God conform to the standards our society has given us. For if we take a look at Scripture, God gives us no promise that we will find our perfect job, house, or spouse in our early twenties, let alone finding our right study path in our teens. Take a popular example like Jesus. God in the flesh Himself did not step into His ministry until His early thirties. Although most of us know this in theory, it is hard to let it sink in and patiently wait on God to reveal His divine plan for us. So if we can’t always expect God to answer these prayers as soon as we would like, what posture should we adopt until He does?
What Does It Mean to Wait Actively on God?
The Bible gives many examples of people who were called for a great purpose. The first thing worth noting, however, is that we rarely see these people begging God to reveal this purpose to them. We do, however, see a different pattern. In 1 Samuel 3, God reveals to the prophet Samuel that He will judge Eli the priest for the actions of his family, marking the beginning of Samuel’s prophetic ministry and God’s judgment on Eli’s household. But what preceded this event? Did Samuel ask for this, or pray to God to reveal His purpose for him? Not that we know. All we know is that “…Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence” (1 Sam 3:1). Samuel’s life was dedicated to God, serving under Eli the priest. The night God called him, he mistook His voice for Eli’s three times and approached him, saying, “Here I am.” Samuel used his time to grow a heart of obedience, seeking the presence of God. Then, when he learned it was God calling him directly instead of through his master, the priest, He uttered the words, “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10). Samuel had not dedicated his life to finding out what God’s purpose is, but rather to becoming a man able to carry it out.
What Happens After God Reveals the Calling?
Because of our desire to hear from God, we often forget that the real wait begins after He has spoken to us. For another anomaly in Scripture is someone walking into God’s call right after God reveals it to them. A great example is David. David was a man after God’s heart because he revered Him greatly and practiced obedience and servitude by tending the sheep of his father (1 Sam 16:11; 1 Sam 17:34). Then one day, the prophet Samuel anointed him as king of Israel. This moment of anointing, where “…the Spirit of the LORD took control of David…” (1 Sam 16:13), is where God inhabits the person He has appointed for a specific task.
When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13
The difference between the Old and the New Testament is that in the OT, only a select group of people were anointed, such as prophets, priests, and kings. Now, in the New Testament, we no longer need a mediator (such as Samuel) other than Christ to be anointed with His Holy Spirit. This is good news for us, but the question may arise: if no one tells me what I’m called to do, as the prophets did in the OT, how do I know what I am anointed for? The answer to that is found in David’s response to the anointing.
After the moment of his anointing, many years passed between David’s anointing and his rule over all Israel. All this time, David knew what he was called to do, yet had to wait while someone sat on the throne that was promised to him. So what did he do? The thing he did best: serve. Instead of attempting to kick Saul from his throne, David served God by serving the kingdom of Israel under Saul. This included playing the lyre (1 Sam 16:14–23), serving in Saul’s army (1 Sam 18:5), and slaying Goliath (1 Sam 17:32-37). Even when Saul attempted to kill him, David refused to fight back (1 Sam 24:4–7). Although the wait must have troubled David, he knew that the only way to the throne was humility, for it was not because of his capabilities that he would be king, but by the anointing of God.
How Do We Discern What to Do Next?
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31
All Old Testament offices that required an anointing were meant to point others to God. This means that, in some way, we know what we are anointed to do: to preach the Gospel, in word and in deed. And while we know we carry the Spirit of our Creator, we remain humble, because we did not get here by our own works. So what does this mean practically? How do we know what to study, which job to take, who to marry? Why not ask a simpler question: how can I glorify God with my life? The truth is that God never promises to reveal our perfect career or spouse to us. He might; He might not. The most important thing is that we serve Him wherever and with whomever we are. Maybe that is what you are called to do. In the meantime, you can ask yourself: what (profession) stirs me up on the inside? Where do you think you can thrive? When do you feel like it is God, rather than yourself, who is driving you? The last one is particularly important in this context, as another thing we consistently see in Scripture is that God does not call those who are qualified, but qualifies those whom He has called. Your degree or talent might not be closely tied to your divine calling, or at least not in the way we expect. David’s talent was music; his anointing was king. Abraham and Sarah were very unlikely to have a child, and although Paul was highly educated in Jewish law, no one expected him to use it as a means to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Maybe you are called to live a life of full-time ministry as a pastor, teacher, or musician. If so, God will reveal this to you as you continue to faithfully serve Him. And while we wait, we make every effort to spread the Gospel and prepare our hearts for God’s call by moving every distraction out of the way so that when God brings us this gift, we will have room in our hearts for it.
