Discovering PurposeSample

When Purpose Feels Deferred

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in realizing God’s intended purpose for our life is when we feel that our purpose has been put on hold. In our culture that values instant gratification, we can easily forget that development in the Kingdom of God does not run on our timeline—it’s often a much more gradual process than we would like. 

Consider David, one of the most famous kings in the Bible. David was anointed as king by the prophet Samuel as a teenager, but it would be many years until he actually took the throne as king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1-13 and 2 Samuel 5:1-4). David was developed, not discovered.

This can be true for us too. We may have sensed God calling us in a certain direction or speaking purpose over our life, only to return to work as usual. This does not mean you have missed your purpose. It means God wants to do some work in you so he can do a mighty work through you. 

Never forget that God develops the character we need to fulfill our purpose over time. Growth and maturity are not instant. Our role is not to try to climb the proverbial ladder of success in our own strength so that we can fulfill our purpose. Our role is to trust God’s process and timing. And to be faithful with what he puts in front of us each day—we never know how he is using the little things to develop and prepare us for bigger things.