Waking up feeling purposeless is incredibly frustrating. You look around and see your friends and coworkers living passionate, engaged, meaningful lives. They have deep relationships, rewarding jobs and a sense of direction that compels them to hope out of bed each morning with a spring in their step.
Much as you feel frustrated today and hopeless, allow me remind you that God chose you, and gave you a purpose before you were even born.
When God created heaven and earth, he knew that one day you would find yourself right where you are at this moment. You have been created in the image of God, and you were made for a purpose. One of the most important things you can do, then, is to seek God’s guidance concerning what your main mission should be, and how you can best fulfill it.
Do you think you have messed up everything? Listen, no moment, event, or detail falls outside of God’s supervision. To fulfil his plan in you, you have to give Him the staring wheel. Samson’s story illustrates how God wants to enable us to fulfill the calling he’s given us. Samson could only further his mission as God gave him strength. Without that strength he could do nothing; with it he was completely unstoppable. This applies to you too.
Daniel 5:21 says, “The most High God rules the kingdom of men, and sets over it whom he will.”
You probably know that Samson faced all kinds of resistance as he sought to fulfill God’s calling. He was not only opposed by the Philistines, but sometimes by his fellow countrymen, and even by the woman he loved, Delilah. In addition, Samson was often his own worst enemy.
In much the same way, as we seek to honor God and to obey his leadings in our lives, we’re going to face opposition. Jesus said in John 15:20, “‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” A chapter later Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Jesus’ warning is not that we might face opposition as we try to fulfill our divine callings – but that we will face it. Thankfully, he didn’t leave us on our own. Keep leaning on me, he conveyed in multiple ways, and I’ll carry you through. Or, as he put it in the Great Commission: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
So seek after God’s purpose for your life; count on his strength to help you fulfill it, rely on his wisdom and abiding presence to overcome obstacles, and with his help you can walk in the supernatural strength of the God who helped Samson.
You can win the battles God has called you to win, and leave the God-honoring legacy he wants you to leave.
