A search of the Scripture makes it clear that God is a God of purpose. He made everything and everyone with a clear purpose in mind. The fact that God has a purpose and carries out His purposes is very clear in the Scripture.
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.’” – Isaiah 46:10
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” – Job 42:2
“Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my purpose from a far country, Clearly I have spoken; I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I would do it.” – Isaiah 46:11
God had a unique purpose for His son, Jesus. “But he said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose’” (Luke 4:42-44). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “But for this purpose, I came to this hour” (John 12:27). Jesus was crystal clear about the purpose for which God had sent him, and all of his life was about achieving that purpose. Even when family and friends would have deterred him, he stayed focused on the purpose God the Father had for him.
God also had a special purpose for David, the great king of Israel. “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay” (Acts 13:36). Even though David made many mistakes throughout his life, God called him “a man after his own heart.” His mistakes were not what characterized his life but rather his constant desire to seek God. As a result, Scripture says he served the purpose of God in his own generation. That causes us to stop and ask, “Will God be able to say of us that we served His purpose during our time on this Earth?”
Your unique purpose
Charles Swindoll writes in his book Living the Psalms, “God has a purpose for each life he creates, and the purpose is as unique as the individual’s fingerprint.” Unfortunately, “some people seem to drift aimlessly through life, with no specific direction.” Scripture says:
“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in your book were written all the days that were dreamed for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” –Psalm 139:16
“For you have been called for this purpose …” – 1 Peter 2:21
God had a plan for your life before He ever created anything. His plan for you is a good plan (Jeremiah 29:11). It’s a unique plan, created especially for you. Nobody ever has or ever will be created to occupy your specific time, place, and plan in the course of human history. As Psalms 139:16 above says, God knew every detail of our life before He made us. God forms our days so that they are exactly the kind of days we should have to become the kind of person He wants us to be. (Swindoll, 2012).
The question before each one of us is if we will discover His plan for us, which is best because of His infinite wisdom and love. Or, will we create and follow our own plan?
For more about God’s purpose for you, click here to get Leon Drennan’s new book, Good King/Bad King – Which One Are You?
