Do I believe that I, along with every person on earth, have a specific purpose? Do I believe that as a Believer I have a divine assignment and purpose? Does every day count? What is the meaning of life?
Read Psalm 139 with me....
"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know EVERYTHING about me. You know when I SIT down or STAND up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You SEE me when I TRAVEL and when I REST at HOME. You know EVERYTHING I do. You know what I am going to SAY even before I say it, LORD. You go BEFORE me and FOLLOW me. You place your hand of BLESSING on my head. Such knowledge is too WONDERFUL for me, too great for me to understand!
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your Presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will GUIDE me, and your strength will SUPPORT me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night-- but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night SHINES as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made ALL the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my Mother's womb. THANK YOU for making me so WONDERFULLY COMPLEX! Your workmanship is marvelous-- how well I know it! You WATCHED me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You SAW me before I was born. EVERY DAY of my life was recorded in your book. EVERY MOMENT was laid out before a single day had passed.
How PRECIOUS are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me."
I see "PURPOSE" all the way through those verses!! I was born for a purpose; YOU were born for a purpose!
What is Purpose?
Purpose is what God has purposed for me. It is what I do purposely for the Lord. It is not knowing every detail of my future but it is having hope, value, and intention in my every day life.
Why is it important to know that we have a purpose?
It makes me more intentional with my day, with the 'interruptions' that come my way. It gives me courage to move forward, to keep walking, when life is hard.
Lately I have been reminded to stop and think...
It was by divine design that I was born in the 20th century, there was a divine design when I was placed in my parent's home, the fourth child of eight. I wasn't accidentally born in the United States of America, there is a reason I was drawn to live in the state of Florida, in Sarasota, and even in this very neighborhood. My job is to see that purpose, to intentionally look for that design.
What keeps me from having purpose?
When I am too busy I find myself 'rushing' from one assignment to the next. It's hard to find joy in the assignment when the only focus is to 'get it done'. When I'm feeling tired and burned out it's easy to lose my real focus. When I compare myself with others I seriously lose my focus and purpose. If God would have wanted two of someone else He would have made two.... but He didn't. He only made one of each of us and that was intentional! When I become too distracted via media, news, internet, etc., life loses it's value and intent.
If you don't have a sense of purpose....STOP!!!
Seek God in prayer until you receive that sense of purpose. Empty your mind of the earthly distractions and ask Him to let you see your life and purpose through His eyes. Life will take on a whole new meaning. Don't expect to know all the details of your purpose and calling. You are called to serve God and glorify Him by being His hands extended to others.
You will never find your purpose away from the God who created you for a purpose in the first place. Don't let your mind "be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (II Cor. 11:3). If life becomes overwhelming to you, it's possibly because you are trying to live it in your own effort--to make things happen yourself. Look to the Lord in worship and prayer, and He will get you where you need to go.
He will enable you to do
what He has called you to do.
