Gentlemen, you have a calling on your life.
Don’t rush that sentence.
Sometimes we think this is just for pastors or worldwide evangelists, but the truth is, God has a plan for your life!
He has things He has uniquely called and equipped you to do.
The word vocation comes from a Latin phrase that literally means “calling,” and it applies just as much to plumbers as it does to pastors.
I’ll say it again:
God has a calling on your life!
The question isn’t if you have one, but how do you figure out what it is?
I’ll say it again: God has a calling on your life!
If we’re honest, that’s where things get kind of murky. Discerning God’s will often feels like trying to capture lightning in a bottle…in my best friend’s case, almost literally.
At seventeen, he was driving down a Manitoba highway, watching dark storm clouds gather above him. Manitoba has epic thunderstorms that seem even more intimidating as you look up into a prairie sky that stretches forever.
He was debating asking a girl out, but couldn’t decide. He prayed, and prayed, and finally said: “God, if you want me to do this, send a lightning bolt as a sign!”
Most of us would not recommend this way of discerning God’s leading. It seems so desperate and inconsistent. However, in those moments of our lives when we feel alone and rudderless, with a big decision to make—I think we’ve all been there.
As soon as he finished his prayer, two massive bolts of lightning cracked and thunder rolled. He stepped on the gas, drove straight to her house, and popped the question.
Wouldn’t you know it, she said yes!
Here’s my question for you:
Was that God?
Or was it just a summer storm?
For many men, discerning God’s calling feels a lot like that—a mix of superstition and “fleece setting” (see Judges 6:36-40). For Gideon, it was a sheep skin; for my friend, it was lightning.
Either way, you ask for a sign and hope you get it right.
A true biblical process for discerning God’s calling is much simpler and far more concrete.
The problem with signs is that one is never enough. As soon as you get one, you need another to confirm it. Again, just like Gideon:
“Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece…” (Judges 6:39 NIV, emphasis added).
But instead of dramatic signs, think of discerning your calling as more like reading the divine signposts in your life.
Each signpost gives you wisdom that God uses to move and guide you in the right direction. It’s not a science, and it’s not immediate, but it is profoundly helpful.
Here are what I call the Five W’s of where a man should look for God’s direction in his life:
Word of God. While it may not tell you who to marry or which university to attend, God’s Word is full of truths that shape your future. Look for alignment or dissonance between the future you’re chasing and the man God has clearly called you to be in Scripture. If the path in front of you causes you to drift from the righteous life He’s called you to, it’s not from Him. God will never contradict His Word.
Wiring. How has God hardwired you? What are your gifts and strengths? There is raw material (like iron ore) buried in the ground of a man’s soul. Ask yourself what that is, then develop it. If you are gifted in public speaking, or team building, or working with your hands, or any number of things, often the hard-coded programming within you is a signpost of where He will call you. He has made you a man for this moment, so ask yourself, “How has God wired me?”
Wise Counsel. Ask people you trust and respect what they see in you. Don’t ask the guys at the bar—ask the guys at your Bible study. Share where you think God might be leading you. Their perspective is invaluable and will help you see what you can’t because they see things you’re too close to notice. In the book of Acts, the Church often discerned the will of God together (e.g., Acts 15:1-32). Don’t miss out on the accumulated wisdom God has placed around you.
Witness of the Spirit. Pray about it! Ask God for direction and confirmation. God Himself, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, lives inside you! Ask Him to show you which way to go, then listen. Many men are good at asking but awful at waiting long enough for an answer. When you submit yourself to God’s direction, He will lead and guide you. One day, you’ll look back and marvel at all the ways He moved you towards His plan for your life.
Walls and Windows (Open and Closed Doors). Believe it or not, God works through circumstances. Paul sometimes wanted to move in one direction, but God put up a wall, blocking him, while opening a window to a different direction (e.g., Acts 16:6-10). If you feel called to be the President of the USA, but were born in Canada, that’s a closed door. Don’t lament it; use it as a signpost. God can miraculously guide us through seemingly ordinary means by shaping the path before us. Don’t dismiss it just because it isn’t dramatic! This is still God at work in your life as you submit to Him. It just comes in the form of an acceptance letter to a university or an international VISA denial.
Whatever you do, keep moving forward. Pray and act. I often teach that “God steers moving ships.” You don’t need to wait until every step is laid out in front of you to take the first. Often God gives you “step two” after you’ve taken “step one.”
God steers moving ships. Like a sailboat on the ocean, God can’t direct you if you’re anchored and stuck. He will confirm, guide, explain, challenge, and open doors for you as you move towards His plan for your life.
It’s an adventure that isn’t without difficulty, but nothing truly worth doing ever is!
God steers moving ships. Like a sailboat on the ocean, God can’t direct you if you’re anchored and stuck.
Faithfully seek His heart first, the man He wants you to be second, and the plan He has for your life third, and you will find yourself right in the sweet spot of calling.
If you get off course and He really wants to get your attention, He can hijack a tornado, as He did with Job, or speak through a donkey, as He did with Balaam (Job 38:1; Numbers 22:21-39).
The rest will happen inside these signposts.
Discerning God’s calling doesn’t have to be overly mysterious or an endless series of insecure signs. God wants to reveal the calling He has for a man’s life; you just need to know where to look.
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