Find Your Purpose in the Lord
Daily Old Testament Reading: Psalm 61-62, 64
Daily Focus Passage: Psalm 64
The world tempts us to find our purpose and identity in the things, people, and ideology of this world. The pursuit of finding identity exists because of the fallen nature of humanity because of the presence of sin. In the fall of humanity, we lost our identity because of the separation that sin caused between us and the Lord. In Psalm 62, David charges us to recognize the empty nature of finding our purpose in this world's things, people, and ideology. At the same time, David calls us to find our purpose and identity in the Lord.
THE STRUGGLE TO FIND PURPOSE
God created humanity for a purpose. In the beginning, men and women were made in the image of God, given the responsibility to steward creation, and designed for relationships with one another and the Lord. The entrance of sin brought a shattering of this purpose. The presence of sin caused this purpose to become distorted as humanity sought after the things of the flesh. As a result, humanity continues to struggle to identify its purpose in this world. They battle between the temptations of the flesh and knowing what is right. They fight the urges of the world and know they must follow the Word of God. Today, we continue to live in this struggle to find our purpose. In Psalm 62, David speaks to this struggle.
THE MISPLACED PURPOSE OF THE WORLD
David mentions the various forms of misplaced purpose that come from the world. He speaks of the threats and lies that attack our pursuit of finding our purpose in the Lord. The world expects people to find their purpose through their identity. The world calls on people to find value and worth in their possessions, the people they know, and the success they enjoy. At the same time, people attempt to find purpose by doing good in the world today. All these lead people to a misplaced purpose. Each metric measures purpose by a worldly metric instead of seeking to obey the Lord and fulfill his plan.
THE GENUINE PURPOSE OF THE LORD
David understands that the ideologies and purposes found in the world exist as a vapor. He mentions that people are a vapor which notes the momentary nature in this world. At the same time, David acknowledges that true purpose is found nowhere else but in the Lord. He notes that true strength to carry out one’s purpose comes from the Lord and that the Lord gives us purpose because of his great love for us. The Lord created and formed us for a purpose that brings him glory. Thus, our worth, value, and purpose rest in the Lord and not the world.
The struggle to find purpose is real. We all long to be important and find a place to belong. We search high and low for people to respect us and often shift to following the lies of the world instead of the truth of the Lord to create a purpose we are missing. The reality is that only our Creator and Savior can provide for us the needed purpose that gives us worth and value. Where are you seeking to find your worth? How do you measure your value?
