There’s a question that surfaces again and again in the life of every serious believer: What does God actually want me to do? Not in the general sense—love your neighbor, honor your parents, live an abundant life—but the specific, personal calling that feels like it has your name written on it. The kind of thing that makes you wonder if God really does have a unique assignment waiting for you, or if that’s just wishful thinking dressed up in spiritual language.
Here’s the thing: God doesn’t operate on a “set it and forget it” plan. He’s not the clockmaker who wound up creation and walked away. Jesus said it plainly in John 5:17—”My Father is still working, and I am working also.” God is actively involved in this world, and more importantly, He wants to involve you in what He’s doing. Not as a spectator, but as a participant with a specific role to play.
And here’s where it gets personal: God doesn’t just hand you an assignment and tell you to figure it out. He equips you with everything you need to accomplish it.
The Bezalel Blueprint: What an Ancient Craftsman Teaches Us About Divine Calling
Buried in the book of Exodus, in a section where eyes tend to glaze over with all the tabernacle specifications and measurements, there’s a passage that deserves far more attention than it gets. Exodus 35:30-35 introduces us to a man named Bezalel—and what God did with this ordinary person reveals a pattern that applies directly to every believer today.
Moses announces to the Israelites that God has appointed Bezalel by name. Out of more than a million people, God singled out this one man for a specific task. Then comes the part that makes this passage remarkable: “He has filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability, and every kind of craft.”
This is the first time in Scripture that someone is described as being filled with the Spirit specifically to accomplish a task. Others before Bezalel had the Spirit dwelling within them as a matter of character and relationship—Joseph in Egypt, for example—but Bezalel represents something new. God filled him like a vessel is filled with water, pouring in everything he would need to take the vision of the tabernacle and make it a physical reality.
The implications are staggering. God appointed him by name. God filled him with the Spirit. God gave him wisdom, understanding, and ability. And God even gave him the capacity to teach others. This wasn’t reserved for prophets or kings. Bezalel was an ordinary person called to do extraordinary work.
The Three-Part Equipping: Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge
When God fills someone for a task, He doesn’t just provide raw ability. He gives a complete toolkit. Understanding what Bezalel received helps clarify what God offers to each of us.
Wisdom is the know-how to take a vision and make it reality. Moses came down from the mountain with detailed specifications for the tabernacle—dimensions, materials, design elements. But specifications on paper don’t build anything. Bezalel received the wisdom to look at what God wanted and figure out how to actually construct it. This is the practical capability to translate divine direction into tangible results.
Understanding is the discernment to see how everything fits together before it comes together. Imagine receiving plans for something you’ve never seen, with no pictures or videos for reference, and having to mentally construct how all the pieces connect. God gave Bezalel the insight to envision the whole while working on the parts.
Knowledge is the technical competence to execute the work. Building the tabernacle required knowing how gold, silver, and bronze melt at different temperatures. The Ark of the Covenant was acacia wood overlaid with gold—how do you apply molten metal without burning the wood? The mercy seat was hammered gold, not cast. These skills don’t appear out of nowhere. God provided the specific knowledge Bezalel needed.
This three-part equipping applies to every calling. When God assigns a task, He provides the practical wisdom to accomplish it, the understanding to see how it all connects, and the knowledge of how things actually work. The God who fills you with His Spirit also gives you what you need to succeed.
You Were Called by Name Before You Took Your First Breath
What happened with Bezalel wasn’t a one-time event. The same God who appointed an ancient craftsman by name has called every believer by name. Psalm 139:13 says, “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” God knew you before anyone else did—before your first cry, your first step, your first word.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 takes this further: “For I know the plans I have for you… plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”
These verses were originally spoken to Israelites heading into exile, but the principle endures. God has plans. He knows you intimately. And when you seek Him wholeheartedly, He makes Himself findable.
The question isn’t whether God has something specific for you. The question is whether you’re willing to discover what it is.
Living in the Spirit vs. Being Filled for a Task
Here’s a distinction that often gets overlooked: as a believer, you are always in the Spirit. The moment you committed your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit took up residence. That’s a permanent state of being for every child of God.
But being filled with the Spirit for a specific task is something different. It’s what happened to Bezalel. It’s what happened to Peter on the day of Pentecost when Acts 4:8 says he “was filled with the Holy Spirit” and delivered that powerful message. The indwelling is constant; the filling for specific assignments comes as God calls you to particular work.
This means two things. First, you’re never without the Spirit’s presence and guidance. Second, when God has a specific task for you, He provides a specific filling to accomplish it. You don’t have to manufacture the capability yourself.
The Discovery Process: How to Identify What God Has for You
Most people want God’s will delivered like a download—instant clarity, no ambiguity, maybe a personalized email from heaven. But that’s rarely how it works. Discovering your calling usually involves a process, and being willing to walk through that process matters as much as receiving the revelation itself.
Start with prayer and actively seek God. This sounds obvious, but it’s often skipped. Have you actually asked God lately what He would have you do? That restless feeling, that sense that something is off—it might be the Holy Spirit prompting you because He has something specific waiting. Prayer creates the atmosphere where you can recognize divine direction when it comes.
Look back on your life and identify times when you felt God was truly using you. Sometimes God has already been working through you, and you didn’t even realize it. Those moments when everything clicked, when the work felt meaningful, when you sensed you were doing exactly what you were supposed to be doing—those aren’t random. Ask God for insight into your own history.
Watch for opportunities and examine your response. When you’re actively seeking God, you become more attuned to divine opportunities versus random circumstances. An opportunity appears—is it from God, or just something that happened? The seeking posture makes it possible to discern the difference.
Overcoming the Curse of Knowledge
Here’s something that trips people up: sometimes you don’t recognize your God-given abilities because of what’s called the curse of knowledge. You do something so naturally that you assume everyone else can do it too. The thing that comes easily to you, the thing people keep asking you for help with—that might be exactly what God has equipped you for.
Consider asking five to ten people who know you well to share a story about a time they saw you at your best. Look for patterns in their responses. What emerges might reveal calling you’ve been blind to simply because it felt too easy to be significant.
Pay attention to what frustrates you when others struggle with it. That frustration might be a clue. If you find yourself thinking, “Why doesn’t everyone understand this? It’s so basic!”—that area of natural competence could be pointing toward your calling.
Think about your hobbies and what you do when you lose track of time. Whether it’s creating, analyzing data, building something with your hands, or organizing chaos into order—those flow states often indicate where God has wired you to operate.
What kinds of problems do people bring to you? The issues friends and family consistently ask you to help with reveal how others perceive your strengths, even when you don’t see them yourself.
The Excuses That Don’t Hold Up
“I’m too old.” “I’m too young.” “I’m too poor.” “I have health issues.” “I have responsibilities that take all my time.”
God knows all of it. Every limitation, every constraint, every legitimate obstacle. And within those circumstances, He still works to give you tasks suited to who you are and where you are. Moses was 80 when he led Israel out of Egypt. David was a teenager when he faced Goliath. Your limitations don’t disqualify you from God’s calling—they define the shape it takes.
The Israelites in Exodus weren’t a trained army of skilled laborers. They were recently freed slaves. Yet God called Bezalel from among them and equipped him for master craftsmanship that would create the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth.
This Isn’t About Sitting on the Sidelines
First Peter 2:9 lays it out clearly: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
The purpose of your calling is bigger than personal fulfillment. When God works through you, it brings praise to Him. Your obedience to His specific assignment for your life becomes a testimony of His faithfulness and power.
We’re not supposed to get saved and then just continue living the typical life—working, paying bills, maintaining the status quo until heaven. We are God’s people, called to do priestly, godly things while we can. He’s already given you something specific. The discovery process isn’t about convincing God to reveal something He’s been hiding. It’s about positioning yourself to recognize what He’s already prepared.
So here’s the question worth sitting with: What if God gave you something specific to do and then gave you the ability to do it? Would you do it without question? And if it required you to walk through a discovery period, would you commit to that journey?
The God who called Bezalel by name has called you by name too. The Spirit who filled an ancient craftsman to build the tabernacle wants to fill you for the work He’s prepared. The wisdom, understanding, and knowledge you need—He provides it all.
The calling is waiting. The equipment is available. The only remaining question is whether you’ll step into what God has designed specifically for you.