Have you ever felt that God has a specific job that you have been called and designed to do, yet that job is constantly out of reach or out of sight? I have talked with so many people who feel this way. You are not alone. Even have seasoned, active ministers have felt the same as you. What you need to remember is this; God truly designs us for a specific purpose, and He too is excited about you achieving that purpose.
By Divine design, you are longing for a specific place in the your life that will cause everything inside of you to finally ʻfitʼ together. What you need to know is that there is also a time and a season. We don’t like to think this way, but if we refuse to accept this fact, we will go through life believing we are missing our destiny and will live in misery, when in fact, we are right where God intended for us to be in this Time and in this Season.
Let’s use Nehemiah as an example. At the beginning of this Old Testament book, we find Nehemiah living a life of comfort while serving the King. With one visit from his brother and some friends, who had recently returned from Judah, Nehemiah’s life changed. When he heard the news of the horrible conditions of Jerusalem, it broke his heart.
I am certain that many others knew Jerusalem was crumbling and also felt a sadness and were grieved, but it was different for Nehemiah. It was more intense for Nehemiah because he knew that God had created and designed him specifically for the purpose of this restoration. Nehemiah understood that his created purpose was to rebuild those walls of Jerusalem. He also knew that a major element of his calling was to be exactly WHERE he was WHEN he was!
After Nehemiah learned Jerusalem needed him, the bible said he wept and grieved over Jerusalem. It was over six months later that Nehemiah recognized that the time was right to speak to King Artaxerxes. He knew his calling was to rebuild those walls, yet he also knew enough to wait for the appropriate time. For everything, there is a time and a season.
So let’s bring the lesson of Nehemiah and apply it to your life and to your purpose.
• Nehemiah recognized that God had designed him and had given him a purpose (calling) for something more than what he had accomplished so far in life. (Do you ever feel this way?)
• Nehemiah also understood that because God had designed him for THIS TIME and for THIS SEASON, then God also intended for Nehemiah to be WHERE he was WHEN he was, and all the paths he previously walked lead him to THIS TIME and THIS PLACE.
• Knowing all of this, and understanding that the task before him was the one he was designed for, Nehemiah was overcome with emotions. Compassion, desire, grief, all sorts of emotions seized Nehemiah that should also rise up in you as you prepare to enter your Calling.
Nehemiah certainly must have desired to pack up and go immediately, but he knew that the appropriate time had still not come. So in the spring of the next year, it was time and Nehemiah left for Jerusalem. Some of his work still stands today.
When Nehemiah finally got to live his calling, do you think his life was filled with only joy and contentment? Go read the book!
Pastor Rick
Pastor Rick King's Blog 