Answer Your Calling
Answer your calling with lessons from Josiah. Seek God’s heart, embrace refinement, stay humble, and align your life with His purpose for true impact.
Big Calls for Small People
In 2 Chronicles 34:1, we meet Josiah, a boy who became king at the age of eight. Eight! While most children are learning how to navigate school, Josiah was learning how to navigate a kingdom. His story reminds us that God doesn’t mind giving big calls to small people. He delights in placing divine purpose in unlikely hands. And just like Josiah had adults and counselors surrounding him, many young people today are guided by mentors, parents, pastors, or caregivers. Josiah wasn’t fully ready to lead—but he was willing to learn. Sometimes your calling begins before you feel prepared. God often surrounds you with the right people while He develops the right character.
Seek His Heart Before Becoming His Hands
In 2 Chronicles 34:3, Scripture says that “while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.” Before Josiah ever ruled effectively, he learned to seek God intentionally. You cannot become an extension of God’s arm if you haven’t first pursued His heart. Many people want to do big things for God, but few want to spend time hearing Him. Think of how you call your closest friends—you can spend hours on the phone. Conversations build connection. In the same way, your calling flourishes when you pick up God’s call. You can do so much more when you stay connected to the One who is calling.
Answer Your Calling – Purging, Refining, and Aligning
Josiah began purging the land of idols (2 Chronicles 34:3). Before God expands your calling, He wants you to deal with what has a misaligned priority in your life. God assigns. God refines. God aligns. Your calling is not just about what you do; it’s about what you surrender. Sometimes God will strip away old habits, wrong motives, unhealthy attachments, and spiritual clutter so you can walk clearly in his purpose.
When God Speaks Mid-Momentum
In 2 Chronicles 34:8–9 and verses 14–33, we see something interesting: the Book of the Law is rediscovered, passed around from person to person until it lands in the king’s hands. When Josiah hears it, he realizes—they had forsaken God. They burned incense to false gods. They drifted. Josiah could have ignored it. He was already doing good things. He had momentum. He was rebuilding what his father destroyed. But what do you do when God speaks right when you feel like you’re on a roll? Josiah humbled himself. Because the call of God means nothing without the voice of God in it. Helkiah, the priest, essentially said, “Something isn’t right.” And Josiah listened. He surrendered his pride. He allowed correction. He welcomed voices older, wiser, and more experienced than him. No matter how high your calling rises, God will always send someone to keep you grounded—and growing.
You Need People Who Speak Into Your Calling
Josiah needed the older generation. He needed counsellors. He needed truth-tellers. And so do we. How do you respond when someone tells you you’re off track? When someone brings understanding you didn’t ask for? When someone older challenges your direction? Your reaction often reveals whether your calling is rooted in humility or pride. God often develops your calling through people. Some correct, some confirm, some refine, and some warn. If you refuse these voices, you risk walking confidently—but incorrectly.
Answer Your Calling – Don’t Waste Your Calling
Josiah died at age 39—young, but impactful. His life teaches us something sobering: Don’t waste your life living someone else’s calling. Don’t waste your life thinking you’re a success and don’t need God anymore. Your calling is too important to be misaligned. Too sacred to be self-directed. Too significant to be lived without God’s voice guiding you. If there’s misalignment in your life, disrupt it. If there’s pride, surrender it. If there’s drift, correct it. Your calling is not a career, a platform, or an achievement. It’s God’s invitation to walk with Him, partner with Him, and respond to Him. Pick up His call. Seek His heart. Align your life. And answer your calling.
