When God Doesn’t Call You

Have you ever asked God to show you what He wants you to do—and then heard nothing?

No voice.  No burning bush.  No lightning bolt.  No unmistakable sign from heaven.

Just silence.

I think we sometimes assume that if God has something important to tell us, He will make it perfectly clear.  We wait for a feeling, a verse that jumps off the page, or perhaps an unmistakable voice saying, “This is what I want you to do.”

But sometimes that doesn’t happen.

The Lord gave us brains for a reason.  He expects us to think.  To use reason. To question our assumptions.  And maybe one of our assumptions is that God will always speak to us in some obvious, unmistakable way.

But what if God is speaking and we simply aren’t recognizing the way He’s speaking?

Think about Samuel in 1 Samuel 3.  God called Samuel, but Samuel didn’t recognize His voice.  He actually thought Eli was calling him.  It took Eli’s wisdom to help Samuel understand what was happening.

Maybe that’s true for us sometimes.

People

God may speak through another person.

A friend may say something that answers a question you’ve been praying about.  Your pastor may make a statement that seems meant just for you.  Even someone who has no idea what you’ve been asking God may say something that gets your attention.

Circumstances

God can also speak through circumstances.

A door opens that you didn’t expect.  Another door suddenly closes.  You meet someone at just the right time.  An opportunity comes along that seems to fit your gifts and abilities.  Or perhaps something happens that changes the direction of your life.

Does that mean every circumstance is a message from God?  No.  We have to be careful about that.

But I don’t think we should ignore circumstances either.

Interruptions/Opportunities

We tend to think of interruptions as things that get in the way of what we’re supposed to be doing.

But what if sometimes the interruption is what we’re supposed to be doing?

I learned something about interruptions during the years I worked as an employee assistance counselor for a major company. Being on call 24 hours a day, there were plenty of times when my plans were interrupted because someone needed help.

A call would come in.  Someone was struggling with a personal crisis, a family problem, an addiction, or some other situation they couldn’t handle on their own.

Sometimes I had to drop what I was doing, talk with that person, and help connect them with the right resources or make a referral.

Looking back, I’m now convinced that many of those interruptions were actually opportunities God was putting in front of me.

Someone needed help—and I was there.

He had put a need in front of me that I was equipped to help with.

What if God does the same thing with us?

The person who needs your help.  The phone call you weren’t expecting.  The conversation you almost didn’t have. The need you suddenly become aware of.

Maybe God is trying to get your attention.

That doesn’t mean we should treat every coincidence as a message from God.  We need wisdom.  And again, some critical thinking is necessary.

Not every opportunity is a calling, and not every feeling comes from God.

So how do we recognize when God may be calling us?

Recognizing His Calling

Here are a few things I would encourage you to consider:

• Slow down. It’s difficult to hear anything when our lives are filled with the noise of daily life.  Give God some quiet space.  Find a place where you can pray, meditate, walk, sit alone, or simply enjoy being in nature.
• Pray differently. Instead of only praying, “God, tell me what You want me to do,” try praying, “God, help me recognize the ways You may already be speaking to me.”
• Pay attention. Look at the people, circumstances, opportunities, and even interruptions that keep appearing in your life.
• Test what you hear. God’s leading will not contradict God’s Word.  Pray about it.  Study Scripture.  Talk with someone you trust.  Give yourself time before making major decisions.
• Look for confirmation. Sometimes one conversation is just a conversation.  But when the same message begins appearing through Scripture, people, circumstances, and opportunities, it may be worth taking a closer look.

I’ve also learned that sometimes the question isn’t, “God, what are You calling me to do?”

Maybe it’s: “God, what are You doing—and how can I be part of it?”

Do I need to realign myself and my life with Kingdom thinking?  That’s a different way of thinking.  And maybe it’s a different way of listening, too.

Perhaps God hasn’t failed to call you.  Or you’ve been waiting for Him to call in a way you expected.

Maybe He’s already speaking, through a person, a circumstance, an opportunity or  an interruption.

Maybe the question isn’t whether God is calling.

Maybe the question is whether we’re listening.

And perhaps we need to pray the simple prayer Samuel eventually learned to pray:

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”