Why God's Calling Isn't Always Specific
When God calls us toward something, we often do not have the words to describe the direction we should go. It’s not usually concrete, laid out in clear plans for us to write down and follow. Though we want such an answer, it is not how it tends to work. Most of the time, it is a sense, a decision, or an affirmation that points us in the way we should go.
This is in part, I believe, because part of God’s calling is to fully trust him. As Hebrews tells us, “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” God gives us just enough evidence of his existence and his way of life that we need to place our trust in him to learn the rest. Putting faith in our relationship with God ultimately leads us to the calling we need, even if it was not what we thought it should be. But doing so requires us to be acutely aware of where he is calling us, of how our relationship with him is causing us to move in a certain direction. On this, Oswald Chambers writes:
“There comes the baffling call of God in our lives also. The call of God can never be stated explicitly; it is implicit. The call of God is like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be state definitely what the call of God is to, because his call is to be in comradeship with himself for his own purposes, and the rest is to believe that God knows what he is after.”
It might seem unhelpful to say something like the call of God is like the call of the sea. Believe me, it’s not that comforting to me, either. We live within the universe of an infinite God, and we never have it all figured out. But it’s also comforting to know that we often know the what, and if we trust him, God will give us the how. If we place our faith in his purposes, God will take care of us on our journeys.
Do you have any implicit senses where you feel God may be leading you? Don’t overthink it and make a 5 step plan, just think of those secret longings within you to go in a certain direction. Take one step of faith toward it, and see where God leads you. Talk to that person, look for that opportunity, or act on what you’ve been dreaming about. If it’s not the direction you should be headed, the caution sign is usually obvious after some time. As we get to know our callings, God will take lead us away from where we should not go. If we trust in the calling of God, we may not always have every detail, but we will always have a direction.
*References from Hebrews 11:1, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
