10. Jesus desires to work with me but he is happy to let me choose the vocation and the location.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
HAVE THERE BEEN TIMES WHEN YOU FELT THAT GOD WAS GUIDING YOU TO A PARTICULAR PLACE, A CERTAIN JOB? DO YOU STILL NEED GOD TO DO THIS FOR YOU?
HOW DOES IT SIT WITH YOU TO THINK THAT JESUS WOULD TRUST YOU TO MAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS ON YOUR OWN?
IF YOUR HEART DESIRES TO FOLLOW JESUS, AND YOU HAVE GROWN TO KNOW HIM AND KNOW WHAT HE DESIRES, HOW MIGHT IT BE GOOD FOR YOU TO DO WHAT YOU SENSE HE WOULD WANT YOU TO DO, WITHOUT NEEDING TO HEAR HIS VOICE GUIDING YOU?
In our desire to be faithful and loyal servants of our Lord, we might suppose that there is a specific place and task that we are being asked to go to and do: to serve as missionaries in a specific country, to plant a church in a particular town, to pastor a certain church, to volunteer for a distinct role.
Early in our walk with God our prayers often are for God to clearly instruct us on where and what to do for him. We might even imagine that we will disappoint God if we don’t hear accurately and choose the correct place and task. And it is true that God does sometimes call us to a specific task. Our testimonies abound with stories of how God led us to a unique and special purpose. There is nothing wrong with this approach to our relationship with God and it is likely appropriate for us at a particular point in our journey with God.
But as our understanding of God deepens, as we grow into a more intimate relationship with God, we may find that he gives us more freedom to choose what we desire to do and where we wish to live and work. Like a parent who desires and works to help their children experience joy and goodness, what God wants most for us is to do what brings us joy, to do it in whatever place we find enjoyable, and to do it with him.
At this point in our journey, God trusts us to make the decision. We no longer relate to God as a boss who hires us for a specific job or a commander who sends us on an important mission. We have spent enough time with Jesus to know what it takes to live well and to do so together with him. Like and adult child who no longer needs their parent’s direction, we instinctively know how to make good choices; choices that bring us together with God and that help us use the gifts and talents he created us with.
This is not to suggest that we are perfect or that the Spirit no longer speaks to us, guides us, and invites us into specific projects. The difference is that God trusts us to make decisions, he knows that as he lets us choose we will get better at choosing and discerning what is good. The Spirit continues to guide us if we ask, which we should, but he will usually come gently with a suggestion or invitation rather than a summons or command.