Week 3: Finding God’s Calling for Our Lives Part 1
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Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:4-10, ESV
Jeremiah and Amos to be prophets
Nehemiah to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem
John the Baptist to proclaim the coming of Christ
Paul to share the Gospel of Christ
Of course, the Bible is full of more examples of specific instances where God called a man or woman to do a specific task or job. But aside from these examples, many people mentioned within the pages of Scripture were not directly called by God to a profession or duty. This tells us God rarely calls his people in unmistakable ways (like Moses and the burning bush) to a particular work or career. And that’s okay, as he’s given us other means by which to discern his call on our lives.
So, how does God provide guidance to us today as we struggle to figure out whether to take a particular job or study for a particular profession? Through studying His Word, praying, seeking advice from godly men and women, and reflecting on our own talents and abilities. To give you a little more to go on than that, let’s consider three ways for us to discern God’s vocational callings in our lives.
1. The world’s needs. This essential means if there’s something that needs to be done, God uses his people to get it done. For example, if you’re considering a career as a teacher, one quick look at any educational jobs board will show a great need for teachers for a variety of schools.
2. Your gifts and skills. God has given each of us talents and abilities unique to us, although others might share those same gifts and skills. These talents and abilities are given to us to share with the world through work and ministry. For me, one of those gifts was writing, and that helped to channel me into a career as a magazine journalist and then as a freelance writer for magazines and websites.
3. Your heart’s desires. God cares about our passions, and he wants us to share that passion with the world through our work. As we discussed in Week Two about God’s view of work, sometimes that’s in a paying job, and sometimes that’s through volunteer work or things we do for our families.
Considering these three things—what the world needs and our gifts and skills coupled with our heart’s desires—we will be guided to choose work that’s edifying and uplifting for us and for the kingdom of God.
Photo Credit: Unsplash Saulo Mohana
