Youth and Children Month
‘Called’
Developed by Pastor Trevor Crenshaw
A few years ago, an eighteen-year-old high school standout named Elijah sat in his bedroom surrounded by college acceptance letters and lucrative athletic scholarship offers. To his peers, his family, and his social media followers, Elijah was the definition of success—he was building a brand and mastering his own fate. The cultural script for his life was already written: chase the prestige, secure the wealth, and focus entirely on self-promotion. But late one night, Elijah turned down the most prestigious offer to accept a spot at a small, inner-city ministry training center. His friends thought he was crazy. They told him he was wasting his youth and throwing away a golden opportunity.
In a culture that relentlessly tells young people that life is a blank canvas where they must be the sole creators of their own destiny, Elijah’s choice was entirely backward. We are conditioned to believe that youth is a time strictly for self-indulgence and personal ambition, and that serving God is something you push off until later in life.
But the kingdom of God operates on an entirely different timeline and a completely backward premise. True purpose doesn’t come from designing your own life; it comes from discovering the design your Creator already has for you. Scripture routinely cuts through the cultural noise to show us that God does not wait for a college degree, a stable career, or decades of life experience before He speaks. He frequently bypasses the seasoned and the status-driven to call young people into radical service at an early age.
We see this clearly in the opening chapter of Jeremiah. When God targets a young man for a massive, nation-shaping mission, Jeremiah tries to use his youth as an excuse. God immediately corrects him: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak’” (Jer.1:5-7).
If you are a young person trying to figure out your next steps, or a parent praying over the next generation, God’s word outlines three vital truths about the nature of an early calling and the importance of surrender.
1. The Preparation that Precedes Us
God does not call you on a whim, nor does He wait to see how you turn out before making a plan for your life. He tells Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jer.1:5). Your existence is not an accident. God intentionally selected your specific gifts, personality, and generation. Long before you ever realize you have a purpose, God has already set you apart. Yielding to His call at an early age isn’t a restriction on your freedom; it is aligning yourself with the very blueprint of your design.
2. The Presence that Protects Us
The weight of a calling can feel completely overwhelming to a young person. Jeremiah’s natural reaction was fear—fear of his own inadequacy and fear of how people would treat him. God answers that anxiety directly: “Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord” (Jer. 1:8). When God calls you early, He does not throw you into the deep end alone. He doesn’t demand that you possess all the strength or eloquence right now; He simply demands your availability, guaranteeing that His presence will cover your lack of experience.
3. The Power that Positions Us
The biggest mistake you can make is believing the cultural lie that you are “too young” to make an eternal impact. God flatly rejects the phrase, “I am only a youth” (Jer. 1:7). In the kingdom, your capacity is never limited by your age but by your willingness to yield to the Holy Spirit. When you surrender your youth to God, He takes your limited experience and multiplies it by His unlimited power. History is filled with young people—from Samuel and David to Mary the mother of Jesus—who changed the world simply because they said “yes” to God before the world told them they couldn’t.
To the young people in our church family, I want to say this clearly: do not buy into the lie that you are just the “future” of the church. You are the church right now. God wants your passion, your energy, and your devotion today—not twenty years from now when you feel like you have life figured out.
Surrendering to God’s call at an early age will protect you from a lifetime of wasted detours and empty pursuits. Do not let fear or cultural expectations hold you back from stepping into what He has for you. Bring Him your insecurities, your doubts, and your willing heart. Answer His whisper with courage, and watch how He uses your youth to display His great glory.