Calling Is Rarely Direct (Video)
Video / Produced by TOW ProjectSometimes God calls people to a job in a way that is direct and unmistakable.
God called Noah to build an ark (Genesis 11:11) God called some people to relocate, like Abram and Sarah (Genesis 12:1-3)
God called Moses and Aaron to their work (Exodus 3:4, 28:1), and prophets such as Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-5), and Amos (Amos 7:15).
God chose Bezalel and Oholiab as the chief craftsmen to build the tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-6).
Jesus called the Twelve and some other disciples (e.g. Mark 3:14-19), and the Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to be missionaries (Acts 13:2).
But aside from these examples, very few people in the Bible received a call to a particular job.
Most of God’s people followed God through the course of their normal work. This included paid work like farming and construction, and unpaid work like raising children and caring for people in the community.
In fact, 1 Corinthians 7:20 cautions against changing jobs too quickly just because you become a believer. It says, “Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called.”
Today God’s voice might boom from the clouds and tell you to apply to a specific job. But God may also call you through less dramatic means.
Guidance to a particular profession might come from your life circumstances. If you need to support your family, your calling might simply be to find a job that pays enough to meet your family’s needs.
Experiences are another way God calls you to the work he wants you to do. Maybe something in your life story makes you notice the needs of disabled people more than others do. This could be a sign of God calling you to work in disability service or advocacy.
If an issue is frequently on your mind, it could be that God is using it to call you.
And if you don’t hear God calling you to a specific job, that’s okay. Bring God into whatever work you do.
That’s the high calling described in Colossians 3:17. “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
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Author: Theology of Work Project
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