What To Do When God Calls Unexpectedly 

We’ve all had things come up out of the blue, I’m sure you can immediately think of at least one wonderful thing and one difficult thing that seemly came out of nowhere. Our family was recently invited to join a housing community that we’ve been waitlisted on for over 5 years! We had all but given up on being considered for it, when suddenly we heard that we were being considered. The application and admission process in itself at times felt like a gauntlet. When we were notified that we could move in, we had one month to organize (and downsize) our belongings. This surprise blessing has been a joy, but often when God calls you to something there are also trials along the way.  

There’s a part of following God that we don’t talk about as much as we probably should: the call to sacrifice. It’s not the kind of message that makes us feel comfortable, but it’s often where God’s deepest work happens. It’s rarely easy when God asks us to lay something down like our plans, our comfort or our control. Even through hard things, God is always purposeful. Throughout the Bible God’s people have been invited into costly obedience that led to greater freedom, deeper faith, and the unfolding of His redemption story. Let’s look at a few examples that can teach us how to respond when God calls unexpectedly.   

MOSES: Letting Go of Comfort 

When we first meet Moses, he’s a vulnerable baby being released into another family in order to keep him alive. He grew up as an adopted son of the King of Egypt, he later sacrificing all the comforts of the kingdom to identify with his people. However, in a rash decision to defend a Jewish slave, he kills an Egyptian. He flees to Midian, where he builds a life that is stable, quiet and predictable. This is where God appeared in the burning bush and asked him to do something that felt impossible: go back to Egypt, confront Pharaoh, and lead His people to freedom (Exodus 3). 

Moses didn’t jump at the chance. He argued by listing all the reasons he wasn’t qualified: “Who am I?” “What if they don’t believe me?” “I’m not a good speaker.” In other words, “God, You’ve got the wrong person.” 

But God didn’t back down. He tells him repeatedly, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12, 14) 

That’s what changes everything about sacrifice. God never asks us to give something up without giving Himself in return. For Moses, saying yes meant leaving the safety of his new life for the unknown. It meant surrendering his excuses, his fear, and his self-reliance. Through that obedience, an entire nation was set free. Sometimes, our “Egypt” isn’t a physical place, it’s a comfort zone. It’s the life we’ve built, the plans we’ve made, the control we think we have. When God calls us to step out, it might feel like loss at first. Only when we let go that we can step into what He’s doing next. 

MARY: Saying Yes When It Costs You Everything  

When the angel appeared to Mary in Luke 1:31, the message wasn’t easy to hear. “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” On the surface, it sounded like an incredible honor, but it also came with misunderstanding, judgment and great personal cost. For Mary, everything was on the line. Mary’s response echoes through generations: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38) 

That’s the heart of surrender: she didn’t have all the answers or a detailed plan, but she trusted the One who had called her. When God calls us to sacrifice, it’s rarely logical from the outside. Obedience might mean being misunderstood, or it might mean stepping into uncertainty or waiting for promises that take years to unfold. Mary’s story reminds us that God’s favor doesn’t always look like comfort—it often looks like courage. Through her costly yes, the Savior of the world entered human history. 

Your sacrifice might not look like Mary’s, but the same principle holds true: when we surrender what’s dearest to us, we make room for God to birth something miraculous in our lives. 

THE DISCIPLES: Leaving Everything to Follow 

When Jesus walked along the shores of Galilee and called out, “Follow me,” the disciples didn’t get a five-year plan. They didn’t know what the journey would be like, but they knew the sound of His voice and the pull of His presence. 

“Immediately they left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:18). Think about that. Their nets represented not only a career, but an identity. Walking away meant stepping into a life that would be marked by both miracles and joy, as well as hardship and persecution. The testimony of every one of them is that they never regretted it. They discovered that following Jesus is always worth the cost, because when we lose what you think we can’t live without, we often find the One we truly can’t live without. Each disciple’s life became a living testimony that the way of sacrifice is the way to joy. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU?  

Maybe God is asking you to let go of something right now. It might not be dramatic, but it could be a quiet surrender in your heart. Maybe it’s giving up control over a situation you’ve been trying to fix. You might need to forgive someone who hurt you deeply. Are you on the verge of saying yes to a call that feels too big, too risky, too costly? 

Whatever it is, remember this: every sacrifice God calls you to make is an invitation into deeper dependence on Him. When you release what’s in your hands, you open them to receive what only He can give. 

Hebrews 11 reminds us that faith often looks like stepping out before you see how it all works out. Moses, Mary, and the disciples didn’t know how their stories would end, but they trusted the One writing them. And God was faithful every single time. 

The truth is, the call to sacrifice is never just about what you’re giving up, rather it’s about what God is growing in you: trust, faith, obedience, love. Sacrifice for the call of God is about becoming more like Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us. So, when God calls you to sacrifice, don’t run from it. Lean in. Let go. Trust that He’s doing something bigger than you can see. Because every act of obedience plants a seed of resurrection life. On the other side of sacrifice, there’s always more of Him. 

Philippians 2:8-9 says that Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross. Therefore, God lifted Him…”  

That’s the pattern He sets before us: surrender that leads to resurrection.