Calling and Purpose 2—Abraham and Sarah
As mentioned in the last post, we are called TO Jesus and TO glorifying God. When you are unclear on your specific call, you can still be clear on that overarching call. All you undertake can be done as if you are doing it for Jesus Himself: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 2:17).
Within that all-encompassing call, there is a reason that God created you and placed you where you are at this moment in time—a more specific purpose for how you spend your days. In the following weeks, we’ll look at several Biblical examples as well as at the lives of some contemporary Christ-followers to see what we can learn about purpose and calling.
Abraham and Sarah: Genesis 12, in my New International Version Bible, is titled “The Call of Abram.” In it, we see pieces of God’s call to Abram:
First: The Lord calls Abram to leave his country, his people, his father’s household, and go somewhere—at this point unclear to Abram. Sometimes your call is one clear step: leave and go. The leaving is clear; the going where is less so. God does promise to go with, guide, and show Abram (and you) the where. This moment in Genesis also implies that Abram listens to and knows God is speaking to him.
Second: The Lord promises Abram that he will bless him, grow his family into a great nation, and make him a blessing—such that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Abram’s call ultimately is that he would be a blessing to others.
Third: It is important to note that others are directly impacted by Abram’s obedience to that call: the people he leaves behind in Harran and those he takes with him. Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his nephew. Portions of their individual callings intersect with Abram’s.
Fourth: Not only did Abram’s call from God require that Abram listen and obey, but it also required a lengthy journey. From Harran. To Canaan. Sometimes God’s call to us is away from something. At other times His call is to something. And, often, the Lord’s purpose for us is simultaneously away from an old thing to a new thing.
Fifth: Even after listening, obeying, leaving, travelling, arriving, and worshipping God…”there was a famine in the land” (v. 10)…things get hard. A clear call doesn’t also necessarily include no hardship for us. If God’s purpose is to mold our character to become like His son, then we will need to endure things that produce patience and perseverance—character. Don’t automatically dismiss the hard parts as separate from your call.
Naming: Further along in Genesis (chapter 17), when Abram is 99 years old (v. 1), God changes Abram and Sarai’s names, elevating their meaning and perhaps helping them remember the deeper sense of God’s purpose and promises for them. Abram’s call includes walking before God “faithfully” (v. 1) and God promises to make him father of many nations (v. 3). He changes Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah (v. 15) and promises fruitfulness (v. 5) if Abraham keeps God’s covenant (v. 9).
We still see God’s overarching call to Abraham—as to us—is to believe, be faithful, follow God wholly. If Abraham does that, God promises fruitfulness, land, blessing. But the blessing is to be a blesser of others.
Age: A comment on waiting and age: Abram is seventy-five when God calls him to leave and go (Gen. 12). The “growing his family” part of his call doesn’t come to pass for another 25 years: Isaac, the child of promise, is born to them when Abraham is 100 and Sarah is 90. (Gen. 17:17; 18:5). God doesn’t seem concerned with the timeframe or the ages involved…just the obedience. No matter your age, you are never too young nor too old to pursue your purpose.
Questions for reflection:
How often do you put yourself in a posture of listening to God—by prayer, studying His Word, trusting Him to speak to you through His Spirit, being in community?
Are you willing to consider leaving where you are, heading for a place that God will show you?
How can you view your purpose in light of what God is doing in the world—in and around you? If Abram was blessed to be a blessing to others—what has God blessed you to do outside of yourself?
Where are you impacted by the purpose and call of another? Where does your call intersect with others? How can thinking about this help you see your call more clearly?
Are you being called away from an old thing? To a new thing?
Where does your purpose and call feel particularly hard? Is this perhaps where God has you—to build new habits and deeper character that align with His purpose?
If you are a follower of Christ, you have been renamed—saved, forgiven, dearly loved child. Savor that as part of how God “calls” you.
Additional Resources:
· Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog: https://godgiftsyou.com/blog/
· Downloadable Resources: https://godgiftsyou.com/resources/
o See Sample List of Interest Areas; Your Spiritual Gifts—A Study Guide; Knowing Your Unique Calling and Purpose Study Guide; Whole-Life Ministry: A Form of Worship, Grace-Giving, and Living into Your Calling.
· Spiritual Gifts Assessment: https://godgiftsyou.com/assessment/
Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and law enforcement leadership for over 30 years. Shirley has been EquipConnectServe Director at First Pres Boulder since 1999. She has worked with leaders and organizations in 47 of the United States as well as having clients outside the U.S. Contact Shirley.