09/10/2022
As men and women we have an idea of what our purpose in life might be, we know our own desires and mold it around the pleasure we find in them, but that imagined purpose is worldly, self-gratifying, and a fantasy. However, as Christians we spend a great deal of time listening and seeking the greater purpose that God has for our lives, and in trying to understand how His love, combined with His will, and our earthly suffering, leads us to His very real purpose in our lives.
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalm 138:8 ESV
If we can look at our lives right now and say with 100% certainty what God’s purpose is for them; If we can rest in our daily suffering, and be at peace with His plan for us, then our faith will have brought us to a place where something amazing and wonderful has not only blossomed, but ripened. Suffering, in it we see visions of our purpose…
“When a person who suffers reaches a point where he can be calm and carefree, inwardly smiling at his own suffering, and no longer asking God to be delivered from it, then the suffering has accomplished its blessed ministry, perseverance has “finish[ed] its work” (James 1:4), and the pain of the Crucifixion has begun to weave itself into a crown.” - Francois Fenelon
A long time ago I realized that my seasons of greatest personal suffering were also those of my greatest spiritual awakening, or experience. Shortly thereafter I would be led into a calling, or asked to do something that would give me a glimpse into God’s larger plan for me. I was not then, and am not not now, 100% certain that I know fully the purpose that God has for me in my life, but I believe that I am drawing closer with each passing day. Our suffering should never be a distraction from our faith, but always something that draws us closer to Him, and that increases our faith in Jesus in the process.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
1 Peter 4:12-13 ESV
So what is our purpose in life, and how do we find it? Maybe it is something as simply put as loving God…
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
Matthew 22:37-38 ESV
or as mysterious as knowing and doing His will…
“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
1 John 2:17 ESV
Perhaps it is learning to trust in Him enough to find peace in our suffering; even unto death…
“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
Philippians 3:10 ESV
Or, maybe it is more related to our eternal relationship with Him, and seeking out our own salvation.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12-13 ESV
So what do we think our purpose in life is? Is it some worldly goal or desire like being happy, making a billion dollars, becoming a world leader, or building the most beautiful Cathedral that mankind has ever seen? I would hope that it is far greater than any of these things, and serves a purpose much higher. I pray that the purpose God has for each of our lives isn’t limited by this world, but can only be realized when we reach His kingdom, receive our resurrected bodies, and lean lovingly on Him. I pray that we stop looking in the wrong places for our purpose, and look far beyond our current suffering to the peace and joy that awaits us there. We can glimpse our purpose in life from where we stand and suffer today, but one day we will come to know it fully…
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalm 138:7-8 ESV
Are we seeking the purpose in our lives? Are we looking in the right places for it?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the plan you have for my earthly life, for your will that I seek to do each day, and for the eternal purpose and design you have for my life. Thank you Lord for each glimpse I receive into your ultimate purpose for me, and for the peace and rest I find by trusting in you amidst my present earthly suffering. Strengthen me Father so that like your Son Jesus Christ I can endure the pain of this world, and persevere in the face of its sinfulness. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who loves me, and invites me to lean on you. Praised be your name for the suffering that I endure, that surrounds me, and that I claim victory over as I worship you. Praised be your name for your Son Jesus who sits majestic at your side, for the eternal life I have received by His life, death, and resurrection… and by whose name I am given all things by you. Merciful are you Father for comforting me, giving me your peaceful rest, and for your revelation into the purpose my life holds. Merciful are you in my trials and suffering for they bring me closer to you. I pray that the blood of Jesus which I drink in communion, and that cleanses me, will transform me into His image. It is my great desire that He will be all you see when I am judged. I pray that His body that feeds me will also feed my soul with the manna of your Word… strengthening me, and giving me joy. I await patiently the day when your grace will lift me in Christ, and seat me at your table forevermore. I long to be perfected, to become fully cognizant of your purpose for my life, and to serve you in eternity.
Rich Forbes