Trust the Process of Your Calling
Text: Luke 2:41-52
“And he said to them, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” Luke 2:49
“Jesus spent 30 years preparing for a 3-year ministry, but we want to spend 3-years preparing for a 30-year ministry.”
That’s what a Christian artist told me at a concert when I was 18-years old after I shared with him my sense of God’s calling on my life. He must’ve discerned my anxiousness. I was young and chomping at the bit to get after it. The magnet in my soul drawing me to God’s work was so strong. It was a deep and profound sense of pulling in my heart, particularly to make Jesus known where he was unknown. I had no idea that call would ultimately lead me down a road to working with kids in hard places and cross-cultural missionary work, but God had his process, and I needed some patience to go with my youthful passion.
Even when we don’t see a clear path in front of us, we can still trust God’s process and his timing. Or as we see in the childhood of Jesus, we can always be about our Father’s business while waiting for those timely divine appointments in our lives. Though Jesus’ “time” had not come until well into adulthood (John 2:4), we see him as a 12-year-old boy so earnestly devoted to the stuff of the Father that his earthly parents lost track of him.
After attending the Feast of Passover in Jerusalem, the Joseph and Mary caravan set the GPS to home and got on the road. They went an entire day’s journey before realizing Jesus wasn’t with them. Hard to imagine, right? Jesus was still taking in the magnificence of the Sunday School lesson while his family was off feverishly trying to beat everyone else to the Cracker Barrell.
Frantically, they returned to find Jesus “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” It says that all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers, and his parents were astonished. After Mary questioned the boy, he calmly reassured them he was right where he belonged—in his Father’s house.
We don’t know much more about Jesus’ childhood and adolescence, but what we do know is that he was submissive to his parents and increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. As a carpenter, he worked his trade and supported his family. He proved himself faithful in a thousand small things before ever entering into his appointed public ministry.
When we trust the process of God’s calling in our lives, we can have a pace, a peace, and a patience in our daily rhythms that reveal a faithfulness to the Father. Be reminded that little things in life are like small pieces to a big puzzle. They connect to other pieces to form a bigger picture. Jesus’ example shows us that when we prioritize our relationship with the Father, we’ll find ourselves in the center of his will right where we belong. Think about that as you seek to abide in the Father’s house this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, abiding with you is where I belong. I don’t need to see everything the future holds, I just need to take your hand. Thank you for saving me through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and thank you for giving my life purpose here on earth. Holy Spirit, teach me what abiding looks like this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- What were you drawn to as a 12-year-old child?
- What are you drawn to today? Are you pulled toward the things of God, spending time in His Word, prayer, and worship?
- Have you struggled with impatience lately? What is at the root of that?
- Where do you need to be submissive this week, or where do you need to be faithful in some little things?
- What disciplines will you work on to be more about your Father’s business in 2025?
Trust the Process of Your Calling
Text: Luke 2:41-52
“And he said to them, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” Luke 2:49
“Jesus spent 30 years preparing for a 3-year ministry, but we want to spend 3-years preparing for a 30-year ministry.”
That’s what a Christian artist told me at a concert when I was 18-years old after I shared with him my sense of God’s calling on my life. He must’ve discerned my anxiousness. I was young and chomping at the bit to get after it. The magnet in my soul drawing me to God’s work was so strong. It was a deep and profound sense of pulling in my heart, particularly to make Jesus known where he was unknown. I had no idea that call would ultimately lead me down a road to working with kids in hard places and cross-cultural missionary work, but God had his process, and I needed some patience to go with my youthful passion.
Even when we don’t see a clear path in front of us, we can still trust God’s process and his timing. Or as we see in the childhood of Jesus, we can always be about our Father’s business while waiting for those timely divine appointments in our lives. Though Jesus’ “time” had not come until well into adulthood (John 2:4), we see him as a 12-year-old boy so earnestly devoted to the stuff of the Father that his earthly parents lost track of him.
After attending the Feast of Passover in Jerusalem, the Joseph and Mary caravan set the GPS to home and got on the road. They went an entire day’s journey before realizing Jesus wasn’t with them. Hard to imagine, right? Jesus was still taking in the magnificence of the Sunday School lesson while his family was off feverishly trying to beat everyone else to the Cracker Barrell.
Frantically, they returned to find Jesus “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” It says that all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers, and his parents were astonished. After Mary questioned the boy, he calmly reassured them he was right where he belonged—in his Father’s house.
We don’t know much more about Jesus’ childhood and adolescence, but what we do know is that he was submissive to his parents and increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. As a carpenter, he worked his trade and supported his family. He proved himself faithful in a thousand small things before ever entering into his appointed public ministry.
When we trust the process of God’s calling in our lives, we can have a pace, a peace, and a patience in our daily rhythms that reveal a faithfulness to the Father. Be reminded that little things in life are like small pieces to a big puzzle. They connect to other pieces to form a bigger picture. Jesus’ example shows us that when we prioritize our relationship with the Father, we’ll find ourselves in the center of his will right where we belong. Think about that as you seek to abide in the Father’s house this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, abiding with you is where I belong. I don’t need to see everything the future holds, I just need to take your hand. Thank you for saving me through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and thank you for giving my life purpose here on earth. Holy Spirit, teach me what abiding looks like this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion: