How Can I Hear God’s Call on My Life?

Hear His Voice

In ancient Greek mythology the epic ten-year journey of Odysseus, as he returned from the Trojan War, required that he sail through treacherous straits guarded by the beautiful and tempting Sirens. These seductive female creatures sang so beautifully that sailors listening to them would be lured off of their courses and into the destruction of the rocks. To avoid the same fate, Odysseus ordered his men to plug their ears with wax so that they could not hear the beguiling music. Then he ordered them to tie him to the mast and to ignore all of his commands until they were safely out of the Sirens’ reach. Like Odysseus, we need to heed the danger and take it seriously. As we navigate through a world filled with sirens beckoning us off course, we must set our course for Christ’s kingdom mission and tie ourselves to the mast of Christ’s truth.

Hear His Voice

If we look analytically at the Lord’s Prayer, the principal example of how we should pray given to us by Jesus, we can get another glimpse of the role played by prayer in discerning his will for our lives. We find these three main elements: 1. acknowledging who he is : Our Father who art in heaven . . . 2. affirming his agenda : Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 3. asking for his help : Give us this day our daily bread and forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Prayer is the method and the Holy Spirit is the mechanism whereby God has given us the ability to discern his direction in our lives. If you are confused about what God expects of you, pray.

Hear His Voice

Our lives are comprised of thousands of small daily decisions and actions: how we treat others, how we use our money, what we do with our abilities, where we invest our time, and what example we set for others to see. Before God will call you to something greater, he first wants to see what you’ve done in the small things. Only if we seek to live our lives as his disciples, seeking his kingdom in every sphere— work, family, money, relationships, community and church—will we fully discover that unique thing God has called us to do and become the people he created us to be. If we live for ourselves we will likely miss it. I am always surprised when people are disappointed that they can’t seem to discover “God’s calling on their lives” when they haven’t obeyed even his most basic commands. A life lived for Christ will always bear fruit.

Hear His Voice

As you look through the lens of God’s kingdom rescue mission and in the context of your own gifts and abilities, what is it that needs doing that you can do? It might be something at church, in your community, or at your workplace; it might even be something halfway around the world. You must seize opportunities. I talk to many people who feel that God has given them a burning passion for something quite specific. It might be to go to a particular country, be involved with handicapped children, do something about homelessness, or reach out to new immigrants. It could be a passion to pursue a particular career direction such as financial services, teaching, or producing movies. These same people become incredibly frustrated when their passion does not result in the outcome they hoped for. So what should you do if God has given you such a passion? God can’t steer a parked car.

Hear His Voice

6. Trust If we have faithfully taken each of the first five steps above and still feel frustrated that we haven’t felt God’s calling on our lives in specific ways, we need to relax. You may be waiting for some glamorous and dramatic way to serve and missing the fact that there is always a way to further God’s kingdom right where you are. We cannot say that the place where we are stationed, the task that is before us, or the seemingly small opportunity that we have is insignificant to the larger mission. We are to live with this question on our lips at all times: “How can I serve the Lord today, here in this place?” And we are to trust that only God knows the full significance of the role he has called us to play in his greater mission.