Living in a Spiritual Holding Pattern? How God Calls You to Something Greater

There is a restlessness that many Christians feel at some point in their walk with God. A quiet sense that there must be more to following Jesus than what they are currently experiencing. That feeling is not a sign of weakness. It may actually be God calling you toward something far greater than you have imagined.

What Does It Mean to Be in a Spiritual Holding Pattern?

Anyone who has been stuck circling an airport knows the frustration of a holding pattern. There is activity, there is movement, but no real forward progress. The same thing can happen in the Christian life.

It is possible to go through the motions of faith, attend church, check the boxes, and still feel like you are just circling the same familiar ground. Spiritually, nothing new is happening. And deep down, you know it.

If you have ever prayed and thought, "There has to be more to following Jesus than this," that thought deserves your attention.

Why Do We Long for Something More?

King Solomon addressed this longing directly in his personal writings. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, he wrote that God "has put eternity into man's heart." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, ESV)

God placed eternity in your heart. That is not a small thing. It means there is a dimension of you that cannot be satisfied by anything that ends. No job, no accomplishment, no bank account, no sports team, no entertainment can fill what God designed for eternity.

When your life is filled mostly with things that will not last, a restlessness sets in. That restlessness is not a problem to be solved with more distractions. It is a warning light. You have an eternity deficit, and God is ready and willing to satisfy it.

What Does God Want to Do With Your Restlessness?

God wants to give you a passion you can pursue on earth that carries the weight and excitement of eternity. That is not going to happen by simply going through the motions of faith.

Think about what actually lasts forever. Your job will not. Your accomplishments will fade. Your home, your savings, your hobbies, none of it endures. But when you share the grace of Jesus Christ with someone and their life is changed, that is eternal. That is the one investment that pays dividends forever.

There is a song from decades ago with a line that captures it well: "Thank you for giving to the Lord. I was a life that was changed." Some of us will hear those words in eternity from people whose lives were touched because we were willing to speak up. That is the kind of life worth living.

The Story of Moses: What Happens When God Blows the Lid Off Your Life

The story of Moses and the burning bush is not primarily about a miraculous fire. It is about what happens when God steps into an ordinary, settled life and calls a person to something far beyond what they thought possible.

Moses was tending sheep for his Father-in-law. Day after day, the same routine. A safe, comfortable, predictable life. Then God showed up in a burning bush and called Him by name.

As it is written in Exodus 3:7-8: "Then the Lord said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.'" (Exodus 3:7-8, ESV)

God heard the cries of enslaved people. He saw their suffering. And He came down to rescue them. That is the heart of God. He is a rescuer, and He invites His people to join Him in that mission.

How Old Is Too Old for God to Use You?

Moses was 80 years old when God called Him. That is worth sitting with for a moment. God is in the life-enlargement business, and He does not check your age before He calls you.

No matter where you are in life, whether you feel settled, comfortable, or past your prime, God may be preparing a summons for you. He comes to people with lives full of responsibilities and routines and says, "I have more for you to do."

What Is God Calling You to Do?

God's mission has not changed. He hears the cries of people around you who are trying to make life work without a Savior. He sees their lostness. He knows their brokenness and the eternity that awaits them without Christ.

And He is sending rescuers. People just like Moses. People just like you.

In 1982, an ordinary man named Larry Skutnik was simply walking home when Flight 90 crashed into Washington's 14th Street Bridge. He heard people crying out in the icy water and jumped in. People lived because of it. He was not a trained rescue professional. He was just someone who heard the cries and responded.

The people around you are crying out too. They may not know it yet. But they are dying without a Savior, and God is asking you to be the one who tells them about Jesus.

What If You Feel Inadequate for This Mission?

Moses had the same reaction most of us have. His response in Exodus 3:11 was: "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11, ESV)

Fear. Insecurity. A sense of inadequacy. Sound familiar?

God's answer to Moses is His answer to you. The question is not who you are. The question is who God is. He is the one who gives you the words. He is the one who works in the hearts of people. He is the one who brings someone to faith. Your job is simply to be willing and to speak.

As God told Moses: "Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." (Exodus 4:12, ESV)

By yourself, you are inadequate to lead someone to heaven. But it is God's power working through inadequate people that accomplishes great things. He does not ask you to be perfect. He asks you to go.

How Do You Start Sharing Your Faith?

It does not require a seminary degree or a perfectly rehearsed presentation. Sometimes it starts with a moment of boldness in an ordinary situation.

Consider the example of a logger who grew tired of hearing his crewmates take the Lord's name in vain. He stuck his head out the window and said, "Why don't you blame it on your devil and leave my God out of it?" That one moment of courage opened a conversation that eventually led several men to hear the gospel.

He did not have all the answers. He just refused to stay silent. And God used it.

Isaiah had a similar moment of surrender. In Isaiah 6:8, we read: "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'" (Isaiah 6:8, ESV)

That is the answer God is waiting to hear from you.

What Makes a Life Truly Meaningful?

There is no greater difference a person can make than to help someone else spend eternity in heaven. Not a career achievement. Not a financial milestone. Not a trophy or a title.

When you help someone put their hand into the hand of Jesus, that matters forever. And you will never be fully satisfied until you know you are making that kind of eternal difference with the one life you have been given.

The Lord of the universe stands ready to pick up your life and give it a significance beyond anything you have experienced. His significance. A sense of fulfillment that comes only from knowing you are living for something that lasts.

Life Application

This week, take one step toward becoming a rescuer. Think of one person in your life who does not know Jesus. It might be a coworker, a neighbor, a family member, or someone you see regularly. Pray for them by name every day this week. Then look for one natural opportunity to say something about your faith, even if it is small. You do not need to have all the answers. You just need to be willing to open the door.

God is not asking you to be Moses on day one. He is asking you to show up at the bush and say, "Here I am."

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect this week:

• Am I living in a spiritual holding pattern, going through the motions without making any real eternal progress?
• What am I spending most of my time and energy on, and how much of it will last beyond this life?
• Is there someone in my life right now who needs to hear about Jesus, and what is holding me back from saying something?
• Do I truly believe that God can use me, even with my inadequacies, to make an eternal difference in someone else's life?

God has placed eternity in your heart. He has heard the cries of the people around you. And He is calling you by name. The only question left is how you will answer.