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When I was in my early twenties, I made a decision that proved to critical for my spiritual, vocational, and relational trajectory in life.
I decided to pursue a graduate degree in music in the Nashville metro area—one the most vibrant music scenes in the world.
When word got out that I was moving, a member of my church pulled me aside and asked, “Do you really believe God is calling you to this?”
I paused, and then replied:
“No. And that’s OK—I don’t think ‘calling’ works that way.”
And I moved along.
Over a decade later, here’s why I still hold that position, but with some considerations God imparted along the way.
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The Desire
At the heart of my decision to leave mid-Mo and relocate to middle-TN was this:
A desire to improve my craft.
A desire to strengthen my vocation.
A desire to experience new opportunities.
Did I pray about it? Yes.
Did I seek counsel over it? Yes.
Did I hear a divine voice calling me to that specific place and time?
No.
And I don’t think the absence of that negated the merits of what I chose to do.
In fact, throughout that period in my life, I never felt the Lord’s absence; I was able to plug into vibrant faith communities and establish lifelong friendships, along with experiencing significant spiritual growth.
Additionally, there was tremendous growth in those areas that I mentioned above, but I also learned some hard things and clarified my deepest “wants” in life:
Having a steady means of provision.
Leading and loving a family.
Serving the Lord faithfully.
In the end, satisfying those “wants” meant taking what I learned in formal and informal scenes and applying them in new ways and locations. I laid down the dream of being immersed in the local Nashville scene, teaching at colleges, or jumping into tour and session work because to be successful in those areas meant that my core “wants” would suffer.
And that was a cost I wasn’t willing to pay. But little did I know that there was a price to be paid, and God’s leading would thread through it all with even more lessons, difficulties, and blessings along the way.
God’s Leading
After the Nashville days, I took a job in publishing in Milwaukee, but found myself back in Missouri about a year later, waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic while working remotely.
Again—these decisions were driven by desire and needs, firstly because I needed a stronger income than what Nashville could offer, and after the pandemic hit, wanting to live relatively unrestricted in a rural area. I also knew that going home would be a good place to heal after a particular relationship breakdown combined with isolation left me in a rock-bottom state.
Did I hear God’s voice calling me back home? In a way, yes—but not in the sense of, “You never should have left; you wasted your time and My favor in the years you were away.”
Instead, it was more of like, “You are hurting. You need healing. Where you are at is not the right answer at this time. Go home and wait for what I will show you.”
This led to:
Significant recovery from hurts, hang-ups, and habits.
Rebuilding relationships that led to starting a family.
Stepping into roles that used what I had learned in a more targeted, impactful way.
So in one case, I didn’t sense a divine calling to relocate hundreds of miles from my home, but in others, I sensed a leading to circle back around. Both directions were followed with intention and purpose, so how are these squared up?
The Call
In the first sense, a lack of explicit divine call to move to Tennessee didn’t invalidate the move—it was more of a sense of making a calculated risk and pursue deeply seated desires that, in and of themselves, weren’t dishonoring or rebellious to God.
In the second sense, circling back around to Missouri by way of Milwaukee was shown more clearly—not retributively but more like a recalibration and building from what had been done before.
But the greater call in all of this remained consistent and became even more clear:
Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Despite the highs.
Despite the lows.
Despite the recognition.
Despite the isolation.
Despite the location.
Despite the type of work.
The call was never really about the next step in the journey; it was really about how each action, word, and thought brought more glory to God and inner transformation reflected outwardly in order for the gospel to be told.
Discerning the Call
To sum up how I view “callings,” I would put it this way:
A “calling” is a desire, impulse, or attraction to a particular course of action, confirmed by the counsel of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and wise people who are invested in one’s life.
There are two aspects of a “call”: inward and outward.
The “inward call” is that inner desire or impulse, whereas the “outward call” is confirmed by others who recognize your ability and potential in that role.
For some people, there are specific callings that are divinely appointed, chiefly in those called to vocational ministry, becoming members of a local church, and serving particular groups of people in the name of the gospel.
For other situations, like choosing a new job, going to school, marrying someone, etc., I view as less of “divine appointments” and more as “permissive opportunities.”
I think in these two broad areas, desire sits within the center, along with either active affirmation or passive permission, depending on the situation.
I do think, though, that we can get carried away with labelling every desire as “God’s call.” In my experience, God’s call serves a particular, long-term purpose that transcends temporary, day-to-day (or even weekly/monthly) work. Instead, it requires significant investment, diligence, faithfulness, and obedience to endure hardship that leads to restoration and growth. And often, our desires stem from wanting to leave a situation that is unsatisfying or uncomfortable, rather than pursuing what is best for the kingdom and our personal spiritual formation.
That leads to a shift in how we discern direction and calling. Instead of asking, “Is God calling me to [blank]?’ consider, “How will God be glorified in this, and am I wisely considering the effects of the decision that’s in my hands?”
In some cases, there is much good to be experienced in taking a different direction. But in others, you might consider your motives being cleverly veiled as being divinely inspired. Some examples:
If you desire to become a member of a church that isn’t really local to you, how are you effectively bearing burdens with those immediately around you? For some reading this, ministry vocation is likely involved along with affordability of living, which grants some exceptions in prioritizing where you do ministry vs. where you live. Another consideration would be choosing a church that is far away but is the best theological alignment to you. But outside of vocational ministry or particular convictions, I’ve observed that many church attendees are attracted to how a church pulls off their services, rather than how their church is BEING OF service, resulting in smaller communities being sucked dry in favor of larger entities that have a pleasing or novel Sunday experience.
If you desire to serve with handfuls of congregations and ministries, that might work for a while. But are you focusing your efforts in a way that is most meaningful? Or, are you spreading yourself so thin that your stewardship falters across the board? It feels good to be needed and meet the needs of many people—but is that kind of work really bearing the impact you envision?
If you desire new opportunities and experiences, then that’s OK! Just ask: “How do I best steward my departure and absence?” I would say that you’re not doing anybody any favors by keeping one foot in and one foot out to appease expectations or to hedge your bets in case the new direction doesn’t work out. As the Scripture says: “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no,” where your fidelity to people isn’t hindered by half-hearted lip service that lacks real, meaningful input.
Finally, when you’re trying to figure out God’s call, look to these things:
God’s Word. In the areas where sin isn’t an issue, then study the narrative and circumstances of particular people and episodes within the Bible to glean the wisdom and direction that is shown throughout.
Godly counsel. Surround yourself with people who doesn’t just give affirmations to your desires. Listen to people who ask you to wisely judge the situation and aren’t afraid to tell you that you’re probably missing something.
A reality that bears considering is that you will likely misstep somewhere along the way as you look to where the Lord leads. But, remember this:
He is always quick to patience and slow to anger, keen to guide and to grow, and will help persevere you into becoming more like Him, no matter where you “do life.”
Be blessed 👊✌️
Derek is the founder and director of Worship Strategies and is also Creative Ministries Director Faith Family Church in Fayette, MO. Outside of ministry, he is active as a musician and entrepreneur. He is married to his wife Kaitlynn, and they have two beautiful daughters.
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