“Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharoh the king of Egypt.” – Genesis 41:46
“David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” – 2 Samuel 5:4-5
“Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age…” – Luke 3:23
What do you notice about all three people mentioned above?
They didn’t start walking in the fullness of their calling until age 30.
So, what were they doing before then?
They were patiently preparing to walk in their callings.
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52 (ESV)
Similarly, Joseph and David both went through periods of testing, growth, and preparation (Genesis 37-50; 1 Samuel 16 to 2 Samuel 5
Growing. Preparing. Learning. Praying. Becoming equipped. Working. Increasing in knowledge, wisdom, and favor.
Often, there is a period of preparation, where God grows us, prepares us, strengthens our faith and love, and has us go through ‘trial runs’ to develop our character and skills, so that we are ready to walk in our calling fully.
Don’t get impatient.
Patiently prepare for your calling, so that when you’re released into it, you’ll be ready.
So awesome!
It is interesting to note that Jesus spent most of his life in the marketplace with his carpentry business. If you consider that most sons took the vocation of their fathers around the age of 12, then Jesus had about 18 years in this business, which is about 6 times the amount of time that he spent in “formal ministry.” Do you think this was an accident OR is there something intrinsically valuable about engaging others in the marketplace through our “secular jobs.” I use those terms in quotes since they seem to be common perceptions that Jesus seemed to challenge.