The Call of God

Yesterday, I received a message from someone who had read A Flight of Faith and asked about God's call in our life. She asked if I had taken notes on my pastor's sermon that was dedicated to discerning God's call in our life and if I could share with her what was said. So I prayed about it and asked God for the words to answer her question, with the little I remembered from the sermon, and the things I have discovered from my own personal experiences and from the conversations I have had with God on this subject. I asked her if I could share what I wrote her on the blog. The following is the response to the question.I am going to be honest, my pastor’s sermon was good, but it just didn’t say all that I wished and hoped it would. Maybe that is just how it is with the call of God; there is no clear cut way to help someone decipher their call in their life. The one thing that he did say that stuck out to me was that maybe we have a choice. Sometimes we are faced with a lot of options, and God did give us free will, so maybe we get to choose the path that we feel is right. I fully believe I have experienced God’s hand at work in my life when I made certain choices. As I went down one path, I could see how God used that choice and the choices that followed for God’s greater purpose. But I also know when the call of God was very deliberate and when God really wanted me somewhere. I think God really does work in mysterious ways.When my pastor mentioned that maybe we have a choice sometimes, I will be honest, I wanted him to say a little bit more on the subject, something a little bit meatier. So when you contacted me, I prayed about it, and I was hoping that maybe I could offer you some insight from my own life and from the conversations I have had with God about this.I have prayed that the words I write will be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of the Lord. I hope that you will, not only, read them, but also further question and ponder this issue in conversations with God. I am going to use myself as an example, please do not take this as me being vain, it is just easier for me to use myself as an example because it is not my place to judge what others believe their call is.The Call of God—Well this is a very big subject, and I am not entirely sure how to jump into it but here I go. The selected passage from the sermon was Ephesians 4:1-16. What I really love about this passage is that it refers to the God given gifts we have each been blessed with. I think this is key to understanding God’s call in your life. I think it first takes recognizing how unique and special you are to God and how unique and special you are in this world before you can begin to realize your purpose in this life. I have to be honest, I have no clue what God has planned for me, I am not one hundred percent sure of my call in life. I feel a call to ministry, but I do not think that it will be in a church with a congregation. I feel a tugging on my heart from God to do something but that something is hazy and I cannot clearly see what it is. But I can tell you these feelings have grown stronger, the call maybe a little louder ever since I began a journey to write and share. My call has grown clearer especially when I began to embrace the unique creation I am and began to trust that no matter what God has a brilliant plan for me and for my life just as God has a brilliant plan for you and for your life.Jeremiah 29:11“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”I can tell you that there have been two experiences in my life when I have truly felt the call of God. One was the summer after my senior year of high school. I graduated in June and had been committed to the College of Charleston for months at this point. But something happened and it did not seem that College of Charleston was where I was meant to be. The Wednesday after my high school graduation my mother sat me down and asked me to go tour Presbyterian College, of course I was mad, but I went. After I left that campus I knew where I needed to be and more importantly where God wanted me to be. The week I received my housing information at College of Charleston, I also received my acceptance to PC and I told my mom I wanted to go to PC. God had a bright red flashing arrow pointing to PC. God used PC to shape me and mold me into the woman I am today, all the triumphs and failures, joys and heartbreaks I experienced there have challenged me and pushed me. Choosing PC has put me on a completely different path than the one I might have chosen if I had decided to go to the College of Charleston.The second sure calling that I have heard is the calling to Scotland. God has led me directly to Scotland and I am putting my trust in this new journey I am about to embark on. I fully believe that I am going to meet my Savior in a new way, and I am going to meet the amazing destiny that he has in store for me.You see, I don’t think the call of God is always black and white. I think the best advice I can give you is to grow deeper and more fully in your relationship with God. God is an amazing friend to have and when you are in a constant communication with God, I think you can never really go wrong in this world. Yes, we will stumble and stray but if we continually turn to God and ask God for guidance and forgiveness then we can never really be lost.Psalm 37:23-24“Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.”I think that the best way to discern your call is to continually strive to develop a deeper relationship with God and not worry about trying to decipher it. God will reveal it, as always in God’s perfect timing.Psalm 32:8“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”Psalm 40:1“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.”I think with God it is sometimes a waiting game, one where we have to be patient.Psalm 130:5“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope…”Psalm 27:14“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage: wait for the Lord!”I think that you are on the right track—you are wondering and questioning what your wonderful purpose is. I know that God has something magnificent in store for you. Trust in that, and also know it might come to you in stages, it might come to you in fullness one day. However, the most important thing is trusting God no matter what. Realizing that God has chosen us to be his vessels in this world is an incredible feeling, ultimately we all have a shared purpose: to love God and spread this love throughout the world. Develop your gifts in communion with God and continue to have conversations with God. You are already on the journey of your calling, and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for you. You are a precious child of God and I am thankful that you reached out to me. I pray that God will bless you, be with you and continue to guide you.May the peace and joy of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.