I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. Psalm 57:2 CSB
The attribute of God’s omniscience means that He is all knowing of the past, present, and future. He is and was and will be in all events and things. God is the One who brings purpose and fulfills it through His people.
God has the ability to interact with His creation. He speaks and the world comes into being. He moves and nations are born and destroyed, lives are changed, and souls are awakened to His presence. He is in full control of His universe.
With this in mind, our purpose is wholly dependent on God. The catch is that we are called to be obedient when He gives us the opportunity to do so. Yet we must be listening. We are in many ways, to be like the boy Samuel, who responded to God’s voice: “Speak Lord, Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9).
This is how God works through His servants. Like a perfect symphony of movements, God works: He calls. We listen. We obey. He fulfills.
Are you listening? If not, ask Him to speak through His Word, through prayer, through godly people as it aligns with His Word. Pray like this: “Lord, Your servant is listening. Speak to me as I follow You daily to fulfill my purpose in You. Amen.”
No matter what you do, any profession is something that God can use for His Kingdom. We are all ministers. All of us are called to something for some greater purpose in Christ (see Ephesians 2:10).
For me, to borrow a term that one of my former colleagues just used, right now, I am a free agent. Because of the revenue impact of the COVID-19 closings, my organization had to eliminate a significant number of positions, including my entire ministry team. No one did anything wrong, nor did I leave on bad terms. But the truth remains that like some of you, I am prayerfully seeking God’s next assignment.
During a time like this, it’s perfectly normal to do some soul-searching, trying to get guidance on what to do next. For me, I have chosen to look at my own life, aspects of my personality, and remembering the times that I had the most joy while I served Jesus. My process has been to ask myself three basic questions. And while none of these questions are earth-shattering or overly creative, they are still helpful:
1. What is my passion? 2. What are my gifts? 3. What is my calling?
First, what is my passion? I believe that a person’s passion is God-given. These are the things that cut the heart, that stir up excitement, that keep you up at night (in a good way). When I served in my last ministry, I would wake up at 5 am or sooner WITH NO ALARM CLOCK just to get into the office and get started. That’s an example of the type of passion for doing what you are supposed to do!
What are my gifts? When a person comes to Christ, God the Holy Spirit provides gifts to a believer to build up and multiple the church. I have gifts, you have gifts, but none of us have the same gift. It’s different for each person. The key is finding out which gifts you have and use them in the work of ministry.
What is my calling? We all have a calling from God. Christ has given us the general call, to make disciples of people (Mt 28:19), but how we exercise this can be different. And God will take that calling, use your gifts and passion, and guide you to the ministry that He has placed before you. This ministry can be across the street or across the world, but it is a ministry nonetheless.
Here’s a general example of what this looks like (I just used some terms at random as possible examples):
My encouragement: ask and answer these three questions prayerfully, carefully, and spend time with a trusted, godly counsel talking about them. When you do, I am confident that you will have a better direction for your sweet spot, allowing you a new freedom to serve with joy for Jesus.
For me, this process has helped me to better hone in on my next steps. It’s good for me, but also good for the next ministry that God leads me to be a part of. And this is the key: to follow God’s leading to a place in order to serve Him joyfully, effectively, and faithfully, all so He can be magnified through me.
Pastor Fran 