The 3 Stages of God’s Calling: Why the Wait Is Not Wasted with Benjamin Lundquist - RAL 100

On this episode, Benjamin is talking to the person who knows God showed you something, but your life looks nothing like it. You’ve seen the vision. You’ve felt the calling. But now you’re in a season that feels slow, unclear, and maybe even painful. And you’re asking, “God, where is it?” In this episode, Benjamin breaks down the three stages of God’s calling: how He awakens a vision in your heart, how He develops you through seasons of waiting, stretching, and refining, and how He ultimately brings you into the assignment He showed you years earlier. He walks through powerful biblical case studies—Joseph, Moses, David, even Jesus - and reveals the pattern God uses over and over again. You’ll receive real, practical direction on what to do in that middle season when nothing seems to be happening, when you feel overlooked, and when you’re tempted to quit. Because the truth is, you’re not stuck, you’re being built. You are not buried, you’re planted. This episode is all about understanding the process of calling so you can stay rooted, stay faithful, and stay fruitful even when the vision hasn’t come to fruition yet.

Episode Quote: 

"That tension you feel, that gap between what you saw and what you’re living, that’s not failure, that’s formation. You are not buried, you are planted. And planted things don’t grow overnight. They grow in hidden places, in dark places, in quiet places, but growth is still happening."

This episode, like all Rise and Lead Podcast episodes, is highly practical and motivating. Don't forget to subscribe to the Rise and Lead Podcast to ensure you get notified when new episodes release every month.  When you share about the podcast, make sure and tag @benjaminlundquist, and he'll always try and give you a re-post. Remember, the best time to rise and lead is now!

Transcript

The Purpose Of The Slow Season

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God is more committed to your development than your timeline because this stage you're in has deep purpose. God is building the person who can carry the calling. Welcome to Rise and Lead. I'm Benjamin Lundquist, and this podcast is all about personal growth and leadership. Thank you for listening and for being a part of our Rise and Lead community. We are a community of leaders who are passionate about growth, leadership, and expanding our impact on the world. On this episode, I'm talking to the person who knows God showed you something, but your life looks nothing like it. You've seen the vision, you've felt the calling, and now you're in a season that feels slow, unclear, and maybe even painful. And you're asking, God, where is it? I'm going to break down the three stages of God's calling, how he awakens a vision in your heart, how he develops you through seasons of waiting, stretching, and refining, and how he ultimately brings you into the assignment he showed you years earlier. We're going to walk through powerful biblical case studies of Joseph, Moses, David, and even Jesus, and show you the pattern that God uses over and over again. You're going to get real practical direction on what to do when you're in that middle season when nothing seems to be happening, when you feel overlooked and you're tempted to quit. Because the truth is, you're not stuck, you're being built. You're not buried, you're planted. And this episode is all about understanding the process of calling so you can stay rooted, stay faithful, and stay fruitful even when the vision hasn't come to fruition yet. The Rise and Lead Podcast is designed specifically to motivate and equip you to live your greatest life with maximum impact. We are going to find out what makes great leaders great and how you can start growing yourself, rise, expanding your impact, lead, and living the life you have been created to live. We are stronger together. That's something I'm always coming back to. And I want to personally invite you to be a rise and lead partner in spreading the word about this podcast and all the episodes that will follow, so together we can reach more people. The fact that you give your time and attention to this podcast means more than you know. If these conversations and teachings are helping you grow, find clarity, or feel less alone in the process, one simple way you can help multiply the message is by following the podcast and leaving a rating and review. I'm always shooting for a five-star rating. And if you feel like the podcast deserves five stars, I would greatly appreciate that. It makes a difference and helps the show to find the people who need it most. And if you know someone in your world who is feeling like their life is missing purpose and impact, share this episode with them. And when you share on your socials, make sure you tag me and I'll always try and give you a repost. This podcast is here because of you, and we are reaching 163 countries so far, and I'm deeply grateful to be on this journey with you. All the ratings, reviews, and shares help our team to continue creating a better podcast experience to serve great leaders like you. This teaching matters, so we're gonna pause and invite God into this moment. God, thank you for every person listening right now. You see exactly where they are, the vision you gave them and the season they're walking through. For the one who feels stuck, remind them that they're not forgotten. For the one who feels delayed, remind them that they're not too late. For the one in the process, give them strength to stay, faith to trust, and clarity to grow. Build their character, deepen their faith, strengthen their resilience, help them to be faithful with what's in front of them right now, and to trust you with what's ahead of them. And when the time comes, prepare them not just to step into their calling, but to sustain it. We trust your timing, we trust your process, and we trust that you are working all things for our good and your purpose. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The three stages of God's calling, why the weight is not wasted. Let me talk to the person who knows. God showed you something, not a small thought, not a random idea, a real vision. You saw a future that doesn't match your current reality. You felt something in your spirit that won't leave you alone. And now you're living in the tension between what you saw and what you're living. And if you're honest, you're asking, God, where is it? Did I hear you wrong? Why hasn't anything changed? Listen carefully. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it's not happening. Let me say that again. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it's not happening. God is not absent. God is not late. God is not confused. God is building. And if you understand the process, you won't quit in the middle of it because God almost always works in three stages. He awakens, he develops, and he assigns. And most people don't fail in the vision, they fail in the process. Stage number one, the awakening, the vision. This is where everything begins. God plants something in your heart that didn't come from you, a picture, a burden, a calling, a knowing. You can't explain it, but you can't ignore it. God will often show you a glimpse of your future before you have the capacity to live it and sustain it. Think about it. Joseph sees himself leading while still a teenager. David is anointed king while still in the field. Moses feels the call before he has the maturity. Jesus speaks purpose at twelve, but waits until thirty. Here's the tension. The vision is clear enough to inspire you, but incomplete enough to require faith. And this is where many people get it wrong. They think if God showed it to me, it should happen now. No, that's not how it works. The vision is not the reward. The vision is the invitation. It's God saying, This is where I'm taking you. But first I need to prepare you. God will show you who you can become before you're ready to become it. Stage number two, the development, the process. This is the stage nobody posts about. This is the stage that feels quiet, slow, confusing, and so often painful. This is where dreams go to die, or where people are built strong enough to carry them. Let's be real. Joseph didn't go from dream to palace. He went dream, pit, slavery, prison. David didn't go from anointing to throne. He went anointing obscurity, rejection, caves. Moses didn't go from calling to freedom. He went calling failure wilderness for forty years. Jesus didn't go from declaration to platform. He went declaration eighteen years of preparation. And here's the truth most people don't want. God is more committed to your development than your timeline. Let me say that again. God is more committed to your development than your timeline. Let that hit because this stage you're in has deep purpose. God is building the person who can carry the calling. If your character can't sustain your calling, your calling will expose you. This is where God develops faith when you can't see progress. Character when no one is watching, integrity when it doesn't benefit you. Humility when your ego wants attention, resilience when things fall apart. This is where God strips you of everything that can't go with you. You can't carry purpose and ego at the same time. So he deals with it. Your need for approval, your fear of being unseen, your addiction to validation, your obsession with speed, and it doesn't feel good. Let's just say this stage, the process is painful because God is not just preparing your platform, He's purifying your heart. This process that you're in, it's not punishment. The process is preparation. And this is the hard truth about the process. You will feel overlooked. You will feel behind. You will question everything. But hear this silence from God does not mean absence of God. I just got to say that again. Silence from God does not mean absence of God. He is working in ways you can't see. And most of the time, the greatest work God is doing is in you, not around you. Before we get to stage three, I want to talk about how do you partner with God in the waiting season. Now let's get real practical. Because waiting is not passive. Waiting is active preparation. And if you're in this season, here's what you can be doing. Master your current assignment. Stop waiting for the big moment. Dominate the small one. Joseph led in prison. David led sheep. Jesus worked in obscurity. The way you handle what's in front of you will determine if you can be trusted with what's ahead of you. You don't need a new opportunity. You need to elevate your standard. Build your inner life. If your private life is weak, your public life won't last. This is where you need to anchor your identity in God. Renew your mind daily. Develop real prayer, not surface prayer. Learn to hear God without noise. If you don't know who you are without the platform, the platform has the potential to destroy you and what matters most. Let God break your ego. This one separates people. Because we say we want purpose, but we also want control, recognition, and speed. God will confront that. God will often reduce your audience before he increases your assignment. Why? Because he wants your heart, not your hype. Develop skill, discipline, and consistency. This is your training ground. You don't wait to become excellent. You practice excellence now. Preparation is proof that you believe what God showed you. Let me say that again. Preparation is proof that you believe what God showed you. Study, practice, build, become an expert. Because when the door opens, it won't wait for you to get ready. Trust God's timing over your emotions. Feelings will lie. They will tell you you're late, you missed it, it's not happening. But truth says, God is never late. He's intentional. You're not behind, you're being built. Steward this season and partner with God in the painful development process. Master your current assignment. Build your inner life. Let God break your ego. Develop skill, discipline, and consistency, and trust God's timing over your emotions. And finally, stage number three, the assignment. Walking it out. Then one day it happens. The door opens, the opportunity comes, the calling becomes reality. But here's what most people don't realize the assignment is not where you become ready. It's where your preparation is revealed. Joseph didn't become a leader overnight. He revealed what the process built. David didn't become a king overnight. He stepped into what was already formed. Jesus didn't suddenly become ready at thirty. He revealed eighteen years of preparation. What God does through you will always be sustained by what he did in you. Let me say that again. What God does through you will always be sustained by what God did in you. Remember, God often works in three stages. He awakens, he develops, he assigns. And anything significant God wants to do in your life will usually take longer than you expect. I don't know where you are right now listening to this episode. If you're at the gym, if you're sitting on an airplane, if you're at home, if you're going for a walk in your neighborhood, but let me speak directly to where you are right now. That tension you feel, that gap between what you saw and what you're living, that's not failure. That's formation. You are not buried. You're planted. And planted things don't grow overnight. They grow in hidden places, in dark places, in quiet places. But growth is still happening. Just because no one sees it doesn't mean God isn't growing it. You haven't missed your moment. You're being prepared for it. You're not disqualified. You're being developed. You're not stuck, you're being strengthened. And one day, the thing that feels delayed will make perfect sense. The thing that feels confusing will become clarity. The thing that feels slow will reveal strength. Trust God's process. Embrace the development. Release your timeline and choose faith over feelings. Own this commitment for yourself. I will become the person my calling requires. And when the time comes, I will be ready. God doesn't just give you a calling, He builds you into the person who can carry it. Stay faithful. Stay ready. Your assignment is coming. And when it does, you won't just step into it. You'll be strong enough to sustain it. So don't give up on God. Don't give up on yourself and don't give up on your calling. That vision that God put inside of you. I promise you this the weight will not be wasted. I hope this episode impacted and inspired you. Send me a DM and let me know. I read every message that comes in. Make sure you screenshot this episode on the three stages of calling. Share it with someone and post it to your social media accounts. Don't forget to tag me so I can give you a repost. I know there is someone you know who needs to hear this episode. Thank you for sharing, subscribing, and rating the podcast. Seriously, that means the world to me. Look for new episodes to release every month. You won't want to miss those. Thank you for taking the time to invest in yourself. You are worth it. Remember, the best time to rise and lead is now.