What It Takes to Follow Your Call in God’s Timing

Here are five elements of God’s timing for your calling.


As followers of Jesus, we sometimes feel called by God but don’t know the answer to the ever-famous question: when is this calling going to happen?

We desire to follow our call in God’s timing, but the process for determining that isn’t written in black-and-white.

There’s no chart in the Bible breaking down for each one of us by name the specific type and timing of God’s call in our lives. Wouldn’t that be great, though?

Trusted Counsel

Whenever I sense God talking to me about something new in regard to my calling, I seek trusted counsel.

I remember the day I paced the carpet in my bedroom one afternoon two years ago, praying with an eager reaching and pleading to God. The innovative idea He’d laid on my heart in the weeks prior burned in my heart with anticipation. I wanted to start a network, birthed as a tiny seed in prayer, something I don’t claim credit for dreaming up.

Knowing the recklessness of moving forward with any major endeavor without talking to my husband first, I asked him to join me there away from distractions to share the vision of the calling. But what I painted to him was full of so many holes, you’d think a kid used it for a pinata. And I wanted to start it right then, blindsided by eagerness.

Somehow I knew what he was going to say. In short: it’s not God’s timing yet. God will often team you up with someone who will balance you out. My husband is pragmatic; I wanted to have started yesterday. But hindsight has made me appreciate his caution. Even though I knew this, I sat on the footlocker at the end of our bed like a deflated balloon.

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:25 NASB

Preparing

I allowed a feeling that I was tardier than God’s timing (I wasn’t) to propel me to prepare for what was coming. Skills, knowledge, and experience are necessary for our calling. Working hard isn’t a problem; it’s how I’m wired.

So I used that to my advantage and plunged into whatever training I could find, including blog posts, courses, ebooks, and research. In time, different parts of the vision I wrote down clicked and connected in my head.

To follow our call in God’s timing, preparation is necessary. Without it, it’s like someone trying to be a lifeguard that hasn’t learned how to swim.

Spiritual Chops

Even as God aligns every step and lays the path in front of us in the natural, we can’t sidestep the spiritual maturity He is working in us for our calling to be fruitful.

“The assignment for which God is calling us will go unrealized unless we are convinced of the spiritual chops He has given us to accomplish it.” —Priscilla Shirer

That’s going to take time.

Remember Joseph in the Bible? He began having dreams in his youth. But it wasn’t until he went from the pit to the prison to the palace—and grew wise from them—that he was ready. And the timing was perfect. He needed to experience those trials first so God could use them to shape him into a leader.

To read the rest of the story of how I launched the Blogger Voices Network, follow me to Nicole Kauffman’s at Courage.Hope.Love for her Follow Your Call series.


Bloggers of Christian faith are welcome to link up their faith based post on Friday’s at the Blogger Voices Network link up. BVN is for Christian women. Our heart is to “with one voice glorify God” (Romans 15:5-7) while we practice contentment and collaborate together. Interested? We’d love for you to join us. #network #linkup #faith #networking #contentment #interviews #collaboration #womeninministry #blogger #networkingideas #thrivinginchrist #women #networktips #community #Christian

The #BVNetworkParty is open to all Christian faith bloggers as well as the members of the Blogger Voices Network. If you’re not yet a member, we’d love for you to join for additional opportunities!

We’d really love for you to link back to Blogger Voices Network in your post or site. Or grab a badge! White (top) or transparent (bottom).

BVNetworkParty BADGE-white
BVNetworkParty BADGE-transparent


document.write(”);


Want to encourage others in their walk with God? Use the icons below to share this post!

Similar Posts

8 Comments

  1. It’s so easy to want to jump ahead of God. But your advice is wise to seek trusted counselors and wait on the Lord. Thanks, Kelly.

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      My track record is one of rushing ahead, but God is gracious to keep working on me!

  2. Seeking trusted council is so important! Great post, thanks for sharing it here today to provide much encouragement and pointing us in the right direction as we step out to follow God’s leading and His timing for our calling.

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      I’m so thankful for wise mentors!

  3. Kelly this is a wonderful peek into the backstory of the vision, wow!
    I think it would benefit everyone to hear more of this. But I know too,
    many time God doesn’t reveal the whole thing — only portions, or maybe the end goal without the middle steps along the way. Keep up the good work.

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      So true, Meg! And I know you were a patient ear many times during those months. Love you!

  4. Headed to Nicole’s to read the rest, Kelly! And I’ve pinned and tweeted here! Thanks also for the linkup, my friend! You’re a girl on fire!

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      Thanks so much, friend! Have a great week!

Comments are closed.