Psalms 139: Made for a Purpose

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This past Sunday morning I visited Bethany Baptist church in Schofield.  It is a church I strongly feel God wants me to become apart of and serve in.  My reasoning is simple.  When my youngest child was moving to the Wausau area, I helped them move by bringing some stuff down in my car.  They live about two miles from my new apartment.  While I was waiting for them to sign the lease, I got the approval call from Fox Run apartments.  The apartment manager said I could come and look at the outside of the apartment but not inside because they were not ready to show the inside yet.  My older son was there too, and he wanted to know where I was going to live.  He was driving a mustang at the time and it is too low for me to get into, so I suggested we take separate cars. 

I followed my son, and he took the back roads instead of going on the main roads.  When I was ready to return to my youngest child’s apartment, I told my son to go ahead I would find my way back.  Well, I got lost!  I was driving back the way I thought my son came and was driving by Bethany Baptist church.  I wondered what kind of church it was because I did not see the word Baptist on the sign. 

Then I was looking at Wausau churches and found Bethany was in the same conference as my Rhinelander church.  Finally, I asked my Pastor at Calvary about Bethany and he was excited for me to get to know Bethany before trying other churches.  Others from Calvary also said it was a good church.  I already feel at home there.

Back to my visit.  During the Pastor’s message he said something which hit home with me.  He was talking about God’s promises.  One of the promises laid out in Pastor Joe’s sermon is “Made for a Purpose”.   I moved here to the Wausau area and I am getting settled in, but I am not sure why God has me here.  I believe God will show me with time.  For now, I am trying to adjust to being at work and trying to do a better job at keeping house (not one of my strengths!).  I am waiting on God to show me why I am here.

Psalms 139 is a wonderful passage.  It reminds us we are made for a purpose.  I have outlined the Psalm as follows:

You know everything about me.  Verses 1-6

1O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  2You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.  You know everything I do.  4You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.  5You go before me and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head.  6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

It is so hard to understand how a God who holds the universe together still knows me so intimately.  I am overwhelmed by the thinking about this.

I cannot flee from You.  Verses 7-12

7I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!  8If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.  9If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.  11I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—12but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day.  Darkness and light are the same to you.

When I read this, I wondered why would anyone want to flee from God?  Then it dawned on me-Sin!  Thank You for forgiveness.  We can come to God with all our sins and He will forgive us.

You made me and ordained my days.  Verses 13-16

13You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  14Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  15You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  16You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

The miracle of the forming of a human being.  I think of my grandchildren’s sonograms.  Their faces so clearly showing they are a tiny human being.  My heart soars with love.  God knows every single tiny baby conceived.  He knows their future.  He knows my future.  I am Made for a Purpose!

Your Thoughts are beyond me.  Verses 17-18

17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  18I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Thoughts about me?  I am not worthy of Your thoughts.  Yet You were thinking of me when they nailed You to a cross.  Such love!

Slay the wicked. Verses 19-22

19O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers!  20They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.  21O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?  Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?  22Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.

I have a hard time hating another being so when I read these verses, I thought of how the enemies are my thoughts.  So many times, I have let depressive and anxious thoughts take over.  These thoughts are contrary to what God says in His Holy Word.  Get out of my head!

Search me! Verses 23-24

23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  24Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Take the enemy thoughts out of my head and replace them with thoughts of You.  Show me why I was Made for a Purpose!  Have you found God’s purpose?

When I am thinking of books on this subject I immediately thought of Rick Warren’s book The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? You can find that book (I provided a link below) at: Christianbook.com Home

The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Softcover)