Insights on the profundity, perplexity, and perpetuity of “the call” after 41 years of professional ministry
Horace Vernet, Jeremiah on the Ruins of Jerusalem (Photo: Amsterdam Museum)
Last December marked the culmination of 41 years of service in professional ministry and afforded me the privilege of thanking God for His goodness, grace, and guidance through the years. The occasion of my retirement also prompted me to reflect upon the complex blessings of the call to ministry.
The Call
As I was sitting in my childhood church one Sabbath morning listening to a guest speaker deliver a powerful sermon, I suddenly realized that all the sounds of worship had been mysteriously muted. As I surveyed the sanctuary, I could see that the congregants were still responding enthusiastically to the preached word; however, all I could hear was a deafening silence.
Amazingly, instead of being panicked by this inexplicable worship interruption, I felt a strange sense of calm; for in the midst of that transcendent moment, I heard a kind yet commanding voice audibly say, “That’s what I want you to do!” as my attention was drawn again toward the speaker. Then, as though someone were controlling an unseen mixing board, the sounds of worship slowly increased until they returned to their original volume prior to that holy silence.
Upon returning home, I shared the epiphany I had experienced during church with my mother. I also told her that I was going to be a preacher when I grew up. She neither discounted my story nor discouraged my newfound conviction. Instead, she began praying that God would cover my life from that day until now. Did I mention that I was only seven years old at the time? That was nearly 64 years ago! Imagine growing up with the elusive luxury of already knowing God’s will for your life at such a young age, while also sensing the sacred seriousness of “the call” itself.
Some years later, while sitting in evangelism class at Oakwood College (now University), world-renowned evangelist Dr. E. E. Cleveland shared with us three ways God calls an individual into ministry. First, He calls by “original conviction,” as in the disarming experience of the youthful Jeremiah (Jer 1:4–8). Second, He calls by “association,” as in the dynamic example of Elisha, who received the ministerial mantle from his mentor, Elijah, as he was being translated into heaven (2 Kgs 2:8–15). Third, He calls by “direct confrontation,” as in the dramatic encounter between Christ and Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–22).
While I personally found Elder Cleveland’s lecture inspiring, it wasn’t the determinant that confirmed the legitimacy of my call: God had already done that! However, it did clarify for me how I was called into ministry because my youthful call bore a slight resemblance to Jeremiah’s call. So, permit me to extrapolate a few insights regarding the profundity, perplexity, and perpetuity of the call.
1. The Profundity of the Call Posits That Our Purpose Predates Our Presence
“Now the word of the Lord came unto me saying, ‘before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations’” (Jer 1:4–5 NRSV).
Consider a more expanded rendering of this text: “Before beginning began and I created you in your mother’s womb, I knew you; and before you were born, I ordained you; I chose you to be a prophet to the nations” (ECP).
When God called Jeremiah into ministry, he informed him that He’d placed a call on his life long before Jeremiah entered this world. Herein lies the enigmatic profundity of the call: How can you call someone before they are someone? A cursory explanation of “biblical prolepsis” might shed some light on this seeming conundrum.
Prolepsis in the Bible is the anticipation of something in the future as though it has already occurred in the present. Since God is able to see the past, present, and future all in a single glance, He can relate to us proleptically, that is, as though we already exist before we actually do. Due to His foreknowledge of the future, He knows that, inevitably, we will exist. That’s how He is able to know us, ordain us, and choose us before He creates us.
The call, then, is based upon the profound premise that our purpose predates our presence; not the reverse. God has a plan for each of our lives before we’re even created; so, no one need ever question whether their presence here is intentional, accidental, or for naught, regardless of their birth circumstances.
But when there’s a call on your life, be assured that problems are imminent.
2. The Perplexity of the Call Presents a Plethora of Problems
“‘O Sovereign Lord, I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!’ The Lord replied, ‘Don’t say, “I’m too young,” for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.’” (Jer 1:6–7 NLT).
Bible scholars speculate that Jeremiah may have been somewhere between his mid-teens and early twenties when God called him to be a prophet. Not surprisingly, Jeremiah balked at first and cited his youth and inexperience at speaking as reasons why he couldn’t accept God’s call. Given the scope of Jeremiah’s call in juxtaposition with his age, scholars further speculate that fear may have also played a pivotal role in Jeremiah’s initial reluctance to accept God’s call.
You might think that being called by God would rate as one of life’s highest honors! However, like Jeremiah, we too may try to amplify our inadequacies or acquiesce to our fears to avoid the many problems associated with ministry. The truth of the matter is that whenever you seek to live within God’s will, problems are sure to follow.
Permit me a transparent moment to share a mélange of the challenges I encountered from the inception of my call until my recent retirement. Unlike Jeremiah, there have been times in my life when I’ve deviated from my “original conviction” as a result of several unforeseen experiences, both personally and professionally. Self-indulgent behavior, irreversible regrets, protracted academic pursuits, early career success, malicious disinformation, scheming colleagues, unprincipled administrators, subversive members, crucial family crises, chronic health issues, recurrent despondency, and faltering faith are just some of the challenges that have attempted to undermine my God-ordained purpose and abort my epiphanic call. I eventually became so disillusioned with ministry that I nearly lost my passion and quit.
At first, I sought to blame God for the problems and church hurts my family and I suffered in ministry. I reasoned that since God “knew” me before He called me, then He also knew how ill-prepared I was to effectively navigate the myriad challenges of ministry. That baffled me because I didn’t choose the call; the call chose me! However, in those moments when ministry seemed meaningless and God appeared to be MIA, I’d invariably arrive at the same conclusion as that old-school gospel song, “The failure’s not in God; it’s in me!”
Fortunately, I made a grace-filled discovery that revived my broken spirit. The apostle Paul wrote, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29 AMP). Another translation reads, “God never changes his mind when He gives gifts or when He calls someone” (GW). According to this passage, we may change our mind about God’s call, but He never changes His mind about whom He’s called. That’s why He doesn’t turn His calling of you over to you. God doesn’t define us by our mistakes; He defines us by His grace. I was overwhelmed when I realized that God still loved me and desired to use me in spite of me!
I concede with empathy that the call will present you with a plethora of perplexing problems. Notwithstanding, those problems are God’s means of refining you and testing your commitment to your calling. He says, “Indeed, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested and chosen you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa 48:10 AMP). Remember, God “knew you” before He called you, so He already knows how to reset your steps, renew your call, and restore your passion for ministry when life seeks to dissuade and deter you from your calling.
Such reassurance is indispensable when you consider that the call lasts for a lifetime!
3. The Perpetuity of the Call Is Predicated Upon Promises
“And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jer 1:8 NLT).
From 627 BC to after the deportation of the Jews by the Babylonians in 582, Jeremiah spent over 40 years of his life in ministry. Non-canonical sources suggest that Jeremiah was eventually stoned to death by his fellow exiles for continuing to prophesy against them while in captivity; yet, his fidelity to his calling remained steadfast until his death.
While contemplating the span of Jeremiah’s ministry, a sobering reality suddenly occurred to me: The call is perpetual and lasts for as long as you are alive! Since your call constitutes the purpose for which you were created, it remains in full effect until advanced age, debilitating illness, or death itself renders you unable to continue. Consider the following quotations:
“Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age” (Ps 92:13–14 KJV).
“I hope that none of those who have been long in the work will think that because they are growing old, they are incapacitated for service. … And let no aged worker, although he is old and grey, think that he is released from service. Let the work be carried on in simplicity. Surely, we have the Lord on whom to depend” (E. G. White, Letter 102, 1910).
During the wonderful celebration my church hosted in recognition of my retirement, several individuals admonished me to enjoy a much-deserved rest, which I fully intended to do. However, a few months into my retirement I found myself feeling more anxious than at ease and more restless than relaxed. I soon realized that although I had retired from denominational service, I hadn’t retired from “the call” itself. Consequently, I felt that God must be repurposing me for the final phase of my ministerial journey.
I still feel the urge to preach whenever I hear “The Word” being proclaimed with power. I still delight to mentor pastors and train lay leaders whenever the opportunity presents. I still want to be involved whenever I see members engaged in mission-driven ministries. And I still long to be back in the pool whenever I witness new believers baptized into the body of Christ. I can’t help but feel that these spiritual pokes must be God’s way of alerting me that He’s not through with me yet because I’m still here. That’s why “I’ve got to finish what He started!”
Not only is the call perpetual, but it is predicated upon promises designed to support you as you persevere in ministry. I personally know that the devil doesn’t retire just because we do. He’s ruthless in his intent and relentless in his attacks. Therefore, the following promises will help sustain you during the span of your calling:
“I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you” (Isa 46:4 NLT).
“When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isa 59:19 NKJV).
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6 NKJV).
At the sunset of his illustrious life and ministry, the peerless preacher Charles H. Spurgeon declared on his deathbed, “... for I owe so much to the grace of God!” I, too, echo Spurgeon’s evocative sentiment because I could never have fulfilled my life’s calling were it not for the grace and love of God. In hindsight, I now know that God didn’t call me into ministry just to save others; more importantly, He called me into ministry because that was the only way He could save me!
When I finish what He started, I pray that the same voice I heard when I was called into ministry will call me again and proudly exclaim, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt 25:23). I pray the same exciting affirmation greets you!
Eddie C. Polite, pastor emeritus, retired January 1, 2025, as the senior pastor of the Park Hill SDA Church in Denver, Colorado. He and his wife Donna now reside in Owens Cross Roads, Alabama.