How do I know what God is calling me to do?

Lots of Christians carry this question for years. You want your life to count. You want to do what God made you for. Nobody hands you a letter with the plan written out, so you are left guessing.

The Bible says more about calling than many people expect. Some of it is about the life every Christian is called to live. Some of it is about particular tasks God gives to particular people. You can get on with the first while you wait for clarity on the second.

Start with the calling every Christian shares

Before asking what God wants from you in particular, look at what he has already said to everyone who follows him.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NKJV)

Paul says Christians are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV). That covers very ordinary things, like how you treat the people you live with and whether you keep your word.

If you are looking for a big assignment while ignoring the small ones in front of you, start with the small ones. It is hard to hear God clearly about next year while ignoring what he has already said about today.

Ask God plainly

Many of us think about our calling far more than we pray about it.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1:5, NKJV)

Tell God you are willing. Ask him to show you the next step. When the boy Samuel finally understood that God was speaking to him, his reply was short: “Speak, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10, NKJV). That is a good prayer to borrow.

Keep reading the Bible

For most Christians, guidance comes slowly, through time in God’s word that changes how they think. Paul tells believers to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2, NKJV).

If reading the Bible regularly feels hard, our guide on how to start reading the Bible has simple ways to begin.

Look at your gifts and the needs around you

God gives his people abilities for a reason.

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10, NKJV)

Some questions worth writing down:

• What do people regularly ask you to help with?
• What do you do that seems to help others, even when it takes effort?
• Which needs keep catching your attention?
• Where have you already seen God use you, even in a small way?

Look for patterns in your answers. They can show you where to start.

Talk to people who know you well

Calling is rarely worked out alone. Older Christians and good friends can often see things in you that you miss. They can also tell you, kindly, when an idea is more about being seen than about serving. Our piece on what makes a good Christian friend looks at the kind of friendship that helps with this.

Take one small step

Many people wait to feel completely certain before they move. In the Bible, guidance often comes one step at a time.

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, NKJV)

Try something. Serve in one area of church life. Write the first piece. Say yes to one invitation. A few months of doing will teach you more than years of wondering. If a door closes, you have still learned something about yourself and about God.

We look at this in more detail in trusting God when you can’t see the full plan.

Notice when fear is doing the talking

Fear can sound very sensible. It tells you to wait until you are more qualified or more ready. Sometimes waiting is wise. Often it is simply fear.

The very first Tea Time With Thandie video on YouTube, from February 2023, was about this: putting fear to the side and doing what God has called you to do. You can find it on the watch page.

When the calling feels bigger than you

Some people do sense a specific task, and it feels far too big. Isaiah heard God ask, “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” He offered himself. Esther was asked to risk her life for her people. Neither of them could do it in their own strength.

Episode 3 of Tea Time With Thandie looks at both of them, and at what it means to pray “Lord, use me”. We have also written about Isaiah 6 and Esther 4:14.

A few things to hold on to

• Your calling is unlikely to arrive all at once.
• It may look different in different seasons of your life.
• Being faithful where you are now is part of it.
• Someone else’s path is no measure of yours. Our post on how to stop comparing yourself may help if that is a struggle.

For more conversations about purpose and faith, listen to Tea Time With Thandie.