The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
Jonah 1:1-2
Assignments come from God in three discernible ways. They can all be “callings” bucketed for your benefit and God’s purposes. Assignments by nature are bound by time and with windows of opportunity that open and close. If you miss an opportunity, fail to walk through a door God has opened, or refuse it, it likely goes to someone else. Yet there are still examples where God pursued his prophet Jonah until he relented from running away from his office of prophet.
The Lifelong Assignment: While God’s calling and gifts are without repentance, the one called can refuse the calling. Moses, King Saul, and Gideon were all reluctant at first. You can receive a lifelong assignment that comes from a clear word of direction from God, a specific place and time the assignment was given, even an unavoidable apprehension where God intersects and then alters your trajectory like Paul the Apostle experienced. The honor of being handpicked by God for a lifelong office or lane of assignment requires your acceptance.
The Seasonal Assignment: Purpose discovered based on your geography, vocation, and station in life will always come with assignments that seem “present” to you in the form of a need, desire, or sense of duty as part of fulfilling a greater plan. Seasonal assignments can go on for months; they can also turn into permanent posts in serving God’s purposes not yet discovered.
The Micro-Assignment: These assignments may be for the day or hour and are more fleeting. They are time-sensitive where you may feel prompted to call someone, do something, act upon an idea, or more. Answering these callings or promptings appropriately qualifies you for greater assignments. Some assignments come by invitation, others by command. They all require cooperation and being obedient to the voice of “Christ in you.”
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- Have you passed or missed out on a God opportunity before?
- What category of assignments are you aware of in your life? Explain.
- Have you ever “pulled a Jonah” before and run away from what God asked you to do?
God’s assignment tells us what we must do, but not all of His “whys” behind His ask.
