The power of strong support: weaving callings together

Ryan Brown Oct. 2, 2024

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

adobe

These were the chiefs of David's mighty men—they together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised (1 Chronicles 11:10).

Whether it's leadership in our home, work, or ministry, many of us assume leadership is a mantle we carry alone. That is not the case. As the book of First Chronicles discusses David's ascent to the throne, this passage in chapter 11 points out a very important idea.

While David was the individual chosen by God to lead Israel, David did not step into this role on his own.

While God certainly had the power to simply install David into this role and to extend his rule over the whole land, He chose to use others to provide strong supportto David as David lived into the fulfillment of God's plan. While God had specifically called David, He used the mighty men and even all Israel to provide support in that calling.

As we look to lean into the callings God has placed on our lives, it's important to recognize that God's calling does not usually come to us in the vacuum of our own personal experiences or abilities.

While God could certainly operate that way, more often than not—He doesn't.

Since our God had the power to speak creation into existence, He certainly has the power to direct our steps in any way He might choose. He could simply instill talents and abilities that we've neither worked for nor honed. He could miraculously open doors to put us in roles or grant us experiences that are in no way tethered to the experiences or learnings God has previously entrusted us with.

God certainly could simply install us into the roles and responsibilities He desires for us and give us the ability to fulfill those roles well, but more often than not He chooses to work in a different way. More often than not, He works through community. He works in ways that miraculously tie the callings and experiences of others into our own.

Just like David, God places people in our lives that offer "strong support" that helps us step into our callings. More often than not, God invites us into relationships with those who mentor us (like Paul), those we mentor (like Timothy) or those that encourage us (like Barnabas).

One of the greatest examples of strong support I can think of is from a lady in China named Yun Hee (Her name is changed here to protect her identity). Yun Hee runs a safehouse in China. These safehouses receive Christians who have secretly crossed the border from North Korea. Yun Hee helps nurture these North Korean Christians back to a place of physical, spiritual, and emotional health.

North Korea is an exceptionally difficult place to be a Christian. In fact, this past year it again topped the Open Doors' World Watch List as the country in which Christians are most persecuted and discriminated against because of their faith in Jesus. This is a country where you and your family can be imprisoned for life simply for having a Bible.

Because of the hostilities they face, no one would blame these North Korean believers if they chose to never return to North Korea once they've reached Yun Hee's safehouse. Yet so many of these believers know they are called to be the hands and feet of Christ in North Korea and choose to secretly cross the border back into North Korea to continue their ministry. Yun Hee is truly a giver of "strong support" as she provides the nurture, aid and encouragement these North Korean believers need to live into their callings.

Time and time again, God chooses to work in ways that tie our stories and callings together. As our callings are tied together, it forces us to recognize our own insufficiency so we can better lean upon Christ's sufficiency.

With this in mind, we should be proactive in recognizing those who are giving us strong support. We should also be equally mindful of those for whom we've been called to give strong support.

Like David and his mighty men, these are the individuals that we'll be entering our daily battles with. As we lean in with others, we need to be intentional in lifting them up in prayer. We need to recognize that while God's purposes are being accomplished, He's chosen to work by tying our stories together with the stories of others.

God could have designed His Church any way He wanted. He chose to design it in a way that causes us to need and be needed by others. As we receive strong support, let's be thankful for it. As we give strong support, let's be unwavering. Above all, let's allow the ways our stories are intertwined point us to the ways we need to be even more dependent upon Christ.

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Ryan Brown serves Open Doors US as Chief Executive Officer. Learn More »

• When preaching solutions, do these two things first (by Mark MacDonald)
• How smartphones have been used toward a torrent of cyberbullying (by Thom Rainer)
• How to bless before you blame in a conflict at work (by Jordan Raynor)
• How to combine passion and discipline for leadership impact (by Scott Cochrane)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now