A Ramble About God's Purpose for our Lives

If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone asking, "why is God doing this to me?" Or "what is the purpose God has for me?" I would probably be on the Forbes list of wealthiest men in the US. Books, sermons, and whole courses have been written to try and answer these very basic questions. I've asked them myself over and over and still over again. I don't know anyone who hasn't at least asked "why is my purpose in life?" whether they are a sinner or a saint, a Christian, Jew, Muslim, pagan, or Atheist.



The truth is that the answer is the same for each person individually. God wants us to know Him. He wants to bring us out of our disorder and into union with Himself. Like any good parent with a child who has a severe disorder, He arranges everything in our lives to accomplish this one goal of treating that disorder and asks us to cooperate with that treatment. Sometimes the treatment is enjoyable, even fun. Sometimes it is painful, and frightening. But in either case, the treatment is meant for a single purpose, to bring us to deification, union with Himself. He brings nothing into our lives which is not geared to this single goal. His is a single focus and purpose where we are concerned.



I spent a large part of my life chasing after involvement in professional ministry, but for most of my life God said "no" even though I was inexplicably and doggedly called towards it. I didn't understand then why He did, but I do now. It was because it would have caused more harm to me, and probably to other people, if He had allowed it. My ego and self-esteem would have exploded and I wouldn't have been at the point where I would have known that there was anything wrong. The truth is that this is a real spiritual danger for me, and a "demon" I must wrestle with daily either positively, as my ego gets stroked and built up, or negatively as I descend into an abyss of depression.



God knew what He was doing then, and I know that He still has my, and everyone else's, best interests at heart as He pursues this one goal for me, and for them. I have watched other friends as they have struggled with "demons" of avarice or physical appetites (be they sexual or stomach related). There are times I see the Lord allowing them to fail so that they can be shown their disorder in all its ugliness, there are other times the Lord doesn't give them the chance believing His purpose for them will be better served by avoiding the temptations altogether. Again, both paths are used by Him at times to further His purpose for them.



There are times that God allows us to work with Him in ministering to other people. He does this only so long as it furthers His purpose with us. When he allows the missionary to go overseas, He has His goal with the missionary in mind just as much as He has the people the missionary speaks to, and it is equally important to Him. Sometimes this means the missionary is very successful in his efforts, sometimes it means he fails utterly. Both are useful and necessary to bring that person closer to union with Him. Sometimes the pastor is allowed to be successful in growing his congregation til it numbers in the tens of thousands, sometimes the church he presides over disbands. Sometimes the mega-church pastor is allowed to have his self-image destroyed by his own actions and plastered all across the news programs to get his attention about the "demon" that has enveloped him. Sometimes the small church pastor is allowed to minister quietly and faithfully to his congregation of less than a hundred until the end of his life. In every case, God is tactically choosing to let the person stand or fail depending on what would be best to accomplish His single purpose for him or her.



A good friend of mine once said, "God is not so much concerned with the work of a worker, as He is with His work in a worker." It is a quote I don't think I will ever forget, and I will always appreciate. God loves each and every one of us that He tailors His treatment program individually for us, and doesn't ever give up no matter how much of a hard case the person might be.



When we want to know God's purpose for our lives, we usually want to know what great thing we're supposed to do or be a part of. What should we shoot for so we leave our mark on history? God's single purpose for each one of us is union with Him, and He'll put us through anything and everything He can to accomplish it. The one thing He will not do is force us. We must cooperate with Him freely through His Grace given through Jesus Christ. This is just as true for the person who's been a Christian for years as it is true for the person who has not.