What does it mean to be “called” by God?  This has been on my mind of late as I am a member of the Search Committee at our church to find a new settled pastor.  And I’ll share a little secret, I did not have a clue, and maybe still don’t, about how much work is involved.  Perhaps the only thing I was aware of is how much prayer needs to be sent Heavenward.  Because God already knows exactly who will be filling the pulpit, and when.  All we have to do is find that person.  And one of my top priorities is – that person needs to be, and feel, “called”.  

In my past, I have seen both ends of the spectrum.  I once knew a very young seminary student who was serving as a youth director.  But after some time, he left his pathway to becoming a pastor because he did not feel called.  On a much brighter note, our church was just blessed with an interim pastor, and he has made it very clear that he does, in point of fact, feel called. 

So back to my original question, what does it mean to be called by God?  In extremely rare instances, it might be an audible call, but in the vast majority of occasions, it is a feeling, leading to a certainty, that God has in store for you a specific job.  Let’s see how some Bible heroes answered their call: 

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God- [Romans 1:1] 

“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”  [Matthew 4:19-20] 

In my pastoral search materials, I have at least 100 questions I  could ask someone looking to become our Senior Pastor.  If they convince me they are called, do I really need to ask the other 99 questions?  

Has God called you?  If so, how did you respond?  What a privilege, that the Creator of the universe would take a moment to….call you.  And if you feel that God hasn’t called you yet, my advice would be to prepare your answer in advance.  God doesn’t call famous people.  He calls shepherd boys and fishermen, and even a lowly teenage girl from Nazareth.  

They only became famous when they answered God’s call.  

Blessings,

Keith