Stumbling into God’s Calling

Sometimes we get a picture of the ancient heroes having a more clear and precise way of following God than we have today. We hold people like Moses, Samuel, and Paul on pedestals without realizing how similar our walk with God is like their walk with God. I am recently finding myself in this situation again as I wonder how I ended up in Thailand for so long without having any clue before I went overseas.

My wife and I left comfortable Orange County, California for the tropical, concrete jungle of Bangkok with a one year commitment to serve alongside the Foursquare church and help with evangelism and training. In the back of our minds we were willing to stay for a second year if we felt good about that after being in Thailand for some time. However, a second year quickly turned into a third year and now without blinking we are about to begin on a fifth year. Somewhere along the way our timeframe conflicted with how God calls us. We committed for the benefit of our own comfort abilities and to give expectations to our support network.

As we transitioned into a second and third year of ministry, we began a transition in our mind of how God calls us in timing and calendar. We began changing our language as we talked with people, and saying God has us here for this season of our life, and we don’t know when this season will end. In my humanity, I feel a bit foolish as I bumble my way into following God’s calling. Why didn’t I know more clearly what he was saying to me?

Without getting into how Moses and Samuel worked out calling and timing, let’s look at Paul, our hero in cross-cultural ministry. How did Paul, the super, evangelist get so far so fast. He must have had an inside track to God’s direction and timing that we miss in today’s advanced age of technology and innovation. Or maybe Paul was more like us than we are ready to admit.

I am thinking of one narrative of Paul’s journey that helps shed light on this issue. When Paul and his companions were on their second missionary journey, they worked out direction and guidance not too dissimilar to us. Paul, along with Timothy, Silas and Luke, went around strengthening the churches (Acts 16:5) and went into Galatia and Frigia since the Spirit of God prevented them from entering Asia. I love how Luke just cruises over that huge question to us as he writes his narrative…What does that mean, the Spirit of God prevented them from going…Was it Paul’s idea to go into Asia, or did he think he was following God’s call?

Okay, but Paul just missed it once here in this fascinating little exchange between Paul visiting the churches from his first journey to entering new ground (Acts 16:6-10). I am sure his companions who looked up to him the way we do today thought , okay Paul, but you are right most of the time. We’ll keep going with you.

But wait…

A second time Paul tried going somewhere new with resistance from the spirit, the spirit of Jesus this time (just Luke’s way of expounding on the spirit multiple times or tripling up as he loves to do to keep the trinity in view). Paul attempted not East this time, but north into Bithynia from Mysia. Again he was blocked. Oh boy, what did Paul do wrong, and how did he miss it twice? Was he getting arrogant, or does God not always give us every detail along the way? What must of Paul’s helpers thought?

Finally, one night as they waited restlessly for direction, Paul received a vision with a man from Macedonia calling him. What must have the morning meal been like the next day? Paul excitedly rushes in to get everyone ready. Guys, guys…I’ve got it now. I can imagine the others on his team rolling their eyes at him. Which way do we go now, oh man of faith and power.

I bet Paul’s meetings are a lot more like ours than we ever give him credit for. We over romanticize the book of Acts and wish we could have similar experiences, when we usually live out the same life with God as they did.

For me, I knew that I knew I wanted to plant a church in Chicago, but the door just has never opened to this point. In the meantime, a door has clearly opened to minister in Thailand. How do I hold these areas in tension. I don’t know, but I just keep following God one day at a time. Maybe I can get someone like Luke to tell my story one day with all the details coming together to make sense in the grand narrative God is writing over the redemption of humanity.