Have You Found Your Purpose?

“May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose” (Psalm 20:4, NKJV). 

My dad was a hard taskmaster, difficult to please. In spite of that, he really was a good father and a wonderful husband, a hardworking man, and an excellent provider — but oh so opinionated (which unfortunately became a family trait).  He had all the answers and if your thoughts differed from his, you were immediately shot down. Our family gatherings were noisy with opinions shooting out all over the place, everyone believing that they were right, and oftentimes an out-and-out verbal dogfight would pursue. 

It took a lot of hard work to please my dad, but winning his approval was my heart's desire.  It encouraged me to strive to become the smartest, hardest working, and most accomplished individual possible. Sadly, this behavior morphed into a self-seeking, self-focused, self-indulgent, and self-centered person, willing to do anything and everything to gain approval from my father and eventually others.  

As a new Christian, my heart’s desire was to please God — work hard, show my knowledge of Scripture, be an independent thinker, and “use my brains” as my dad would say. I was sure God wouldn’t want me to be like one of those weak Christians, who needed God for every little thing. I thought to myself, wouldn’t being self-sufficient make Father God proud? 

Eventually, failing at trying to be everything to everybody brought me to the end of myself. I finally realized I had gotten it all wrong! I learned when the Word talks about granting us our heart's desire, it's not talking about giving us our every whim, want, or wish. The Scripture is talking about our heart's deepest desires, the desires that line up with God and His Word. The longing that comes from the deepest part of us, our inner core. The part of us that really walks the walk and talks the talk. We can call it our gut but it is the part of us that leads us to implement and act out what the Holy Spirit has been silently or softly teaching and instructing us to do. 

“Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

So, we get the desires of our heart by delighting ourselves in Him and our heart’s desires fulfill all of our purposes. So, we don’t have to jump through any hoops, be perfect, or people-please to obtain our purpose, just delight ourselves in Him. 

Often, I have to remind myself how much God has become a growing part of me. When we are delighted to spend time with Him, talk to Him, and look forward to it every chance we get, we become more cognizant of our growth and delight in Him. It becomes where we live, move, and have our being. This is how we delight ourselves in Him. 

It is like an eternal hourglass that has been turned over, just as our lives are turned over when we repent and grow in Christ.  Everything is flipped and turned upside down for the good. This eternal hourglass is filling us up with His fruit, His ways, His Love, His life, and His purpose. Our lives are no longer our own. We find that our purpose is His purpose.

Question for reflection: What am I trying to work out in my own strength that I can bring to God?

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.