A Prayer to Remember Our Purpose
By: Laura Bailey
Bible Reading:
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1: 27 NIV
Listen or Read Below:
Out of curiosity, I googled, “What’s my purpose?” It’s evident from the numerous pages of search results that this is a popular question. While I didn’t expect a biblical response to be one of the top search results, it took me a bit of scrolling to find a Christian’s response.
It’s not surprising that the overarching solution to “Finding One’s Purpose” is a result of looking inward. Asking ourselves, “What do I like to do?” “ How do I want to define my life?” or “Whose life do you want to emulate?” I don’t argue that it’s not beneficial at times to evaluate our current circumstances. Sometimes it is helpful to make a change to improve ourselves in some way. However, as Christians, we need to make sure we are using the right filter to find answers or solutions to our life’s questions.
Let’s go back to my original question, “What’s my purpose?” When we look to Scripture to define our purpose and reasons for existing, we see that the answer lies not within ourselves, but in the One who created us. We see in Genesis 1:27 that God created us in His image, both male and female, equally loved and equal standing under God’s Authority. The fact that men and women were equals, to modern readers, doesn’t seem that big of a deal. However, when Moses originally wrote Genesis around 1440-1430 BC, the idea of equality among the sexes was radical. Women weren’t even considered members of society; in the social standings, they fell under enslaved people. The fact that Scripture explicitly states that God created man and woman in His image reveals God’s love for all His creation.
God doesn’t play favorites; we are all precious in His sight. God wasn’t lonely; He didn’t create humanity to entertain Him or for companionship. We were made out of Love to be in a relationship with God and to bring Him praise and honor. Therefore, the key to finding our purpose isn’t found internally, and that’s a good thing! We humans are fickle creatures – we change our minds, preferences, and ideas all the time. If we look to ourselves to define our purpose, we will make ourselves crazy, because the definition would constantly be changing.
Instead, when we remember the reason why God, the Creator of the Universe, who is unchanging, created us, we can be assured of our purpose. We don’t have to scour the web or scroll through social media to define who we are. Instead, we are defined by who we belong to–the Lord. God created you to know Him intimately, to praise Him, to bring Him glory. How we do that is going to look different for everyone. Because God created us with unique talents and attributes, our life stages will determine how they manifest differently. Still, we don’t have to wonder about our purpose! We can be confident that God intentionally created us, and He wants us to know Him and make Him known.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us. You didn’t have to make man and woman in Your image, yet You chose to invite us into a relationship with You. Thank you for loving us, even when we fall short. We know that Your love is never-ending. How grateful we are that Your love is not conditional on our words and actions.
Forgive us when we choose our own way or rebel against your commands. Help us not to get distracted by what the world says is my purpose or identity. Please keep our hearts and minds firmly rooted in Your truth, and guide our steps, so that our lives will be a living testimony to Your goodness. Lord, in this season, as we use our unique gifts and talents, please show us how You would like us to live out our purpose of knowing You and making You known. We love you, Lord, and we are eternally grateful for the gift of life, both on earth and eternal.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Photo Credit: Dylan Ferreira/Unsplash
She lives in Upstate South Carolina with her husband and three young girls, where she serves as director of women's ministries at her church. Her passion is teaching the Bible to women, equipping them to live with an eternal perspective. Invite Laura to speak at your next event or learn more: www.LauraRBailey.com
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