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Friday May 20, 2016

 

God created you on purpose and for a divine purpose, it is much more than just a dream. Like Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem, you have a divinely ordained purpose to fulfill. Accomplishing this purpose will require patience and you will need to pray, do research, plan, and make adjustments. You will also have to assume some risks and make sacrifices. There will be times when things will not go as expected and you will feel incompetent and tempted to give up. At other times, you will feel powerless and as though you are not getting anywhere. Adding to this, there will be lots of distractions and some will even tell you that you are wasting your time while others might offer you what appears to be an incredible opportunity. However, nothing will ever compare to the fulfillment of God’s purpose in your life. Why? Because it is what you were placed on this earth to do.

 

In order for you to fulfill God’s divinely ordained purpose for your life it is going require more than one encounter with Him. It will require that you develop and sustain a trusting relationship with Him and that will come about by constantly praying and listening to His every word. This is something that cannot be accomplished on its own; you will need the help of God and the help of others. You are going to have to lead and you will need to allow yourself to be lead.

 

I would like to share just a few more comments on the subject before I end. Nehemiah, upon fulfilling God’s divine purpose for his life, ended his mission with these words:

 

Nehemiah 13:30-31 NIV

So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits

 

Nehemiah never forgot the divine nature of his purpose. “Remember me with favor, my God.” It is as though Nehemiah was telling God, “I did my part and I have fulfilled my purpose. From here on you will have to sustain the work.” It is possible Nehemiah never understood the magnitude of his prayer when he uttered it. Chronologically speaking, Nehemiah is the last book of the Old Testament. Immediate following Nehemiah’s prayer, the world entered into a period known as the four hundred years of silence. God did not speak; there were no recorded words from God during this time.

 

It is not until the New Testament that we once again hear from God and this took place when the angel announced the birth of Jesus the Messiah. This very Messiah would enter triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem through the gates that Nehemiah and the people rebuilt. Most assuredly, God answered Nehemiah’s prayer. Not only did God sustain the work He also granted him favor.

 

Just as was the case with Nehemiah, we have no idea what is at play concerning our lives. It is doubtful that Nehemiah could have ever imagined the Son of God and Savior of the world entering the city through the gates he helped rebuild. We too have no idea what it is that God will ultimately do through His divine purpose for our lives.

 

Our lives have a beginning and an end. All of us are going to end up somewhere when it is all said and done. My hope and my prayer is that we end up where God created us to be; understanding that His divine purpose is the vehicle He will use to get us there.

 

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