“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
God had selected Jeremiah before he was born. To be a prophet to the nations was God’s purpose and plan for Jeremiah’s life. Jeremiah was not looking for a purpose, but God chose to reveal it to Him.
God creates each of us with a specific design and purpose. He has uniquely fashioned each person with certain, gifts, abilities, and talents. Everyone’s purpose is to reflect the glory of God on the earth, but God’s purpose has a new level of intensity in today’s church.
It seems that individual’s dreams and aspirations have taken on spiritual clothing and are called God’s purpose. While there is nothing wrong with having dreams or aspirations, calling them God’s purpose makes them irrefutable and nonnegotiable. People strive to seek God’s purpose. Some people’s lives gets out of balance because they are serving God’s purpose. For others, it makes them feel inferior, lost, or frustrated because they have not discovered their purpose yet.
I was listening to a Christian radio yesterday and a college student was on the line. She shared that trying to figure out God’s purpose for her has caused her to go into depression. Then she went on to say that knowing she is God’s beloved had calmed her anguish. I wonder if the expectation was created by people around her telling her that God has a great purpose for her.
I sought the Lord for my purpose several years ago and drove myself crazy. Crying and begging God did not make my purpose any more clear. All I could do was to take one step at a time and do my tasks/ministry with diligence. At times, my activities seemed random or fruitless, but in faith I committed them to the Lord.
There is no formula for knowing God’s purpose. God has a unique path for each of us, and we can only do what we feel led to do without knowing how it fits into the big scheme of things. Much of God’s plan is discovered along the way.If God has something specific for us to do, He will certainly communicate it to us. However, if He is not giving us specific instructions, it does not mean that what we do is not important.
If we are waiting for something specific, we may set ourselves up for disappointment and disillusionment and feel cheated because we haven’t heard anything. Instead of waiting, we need to take steps in the direction that we are led and stay flexible and open for God’s change of direction. He has given us abilities that we can use to impact the world. Whether it is something specific or not, it is significant because we belong to Him and represent Him.
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
