March 4

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast.” —PSALM 139:9-10

There are people who think life is like a poker game, and they have to make the best of the hand they’ve been dealt. It’s random, the luck of the draw, and success or failure is dependent upon their own initiatives. Then there are others who are dependent upon God, and know He has a plan for their lives. It isn’t random, nor the luck of the draw, but is derived from their faith in Him. 

Jeremiah expressed a universal sense when he wrote, “I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). In other words, we cannot make sense of this life on our own. Human capability and intellect are simply not sufficient to sustain meaning and purpose to life. 

We only discover God’s will for our lives when we understand the general will of God for our world. The question we need to ask is: “What is God’s will?”… period. What is the big picture of God’s agenda in this world and how can I play a part? God did not create us so we would find something to do, but because He has something for us to do. Though it may not seem significant or even wonderful to us, His plan for us plays a role, which furthers His plan for this world. It is in this capacity we find meaning, substance and purpose to life.

Psalm 138:8 says, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.” This verse is stating that God’s purpose for our lives is a consequence of His love for us. He knows us intimately, and one of the most important things we need to grasp is that we are loved by God; not because it is a bullet point in our Christian doctrine, but because we personally experience it. 

The person who brings his or her life in submission to Christ is not simply the start of the Gospel; it is the heart of the Gospel. Surrendering all we are to Christ is that disposition that says, “Lord, I want You to have Your way in my life.” As we grow in our understanding of Christ’s Lordship, we will grow in our surrender to Him. We are who God loves; therefore, we trust Him, and under His Lordship, we obey Him. Then He promises to guide us, to hold us fast, and He’ll place us in the very center of His perfect will for us, the most gratifying place on earth, where we are released to be what God created us to be. 

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for your will to be done in my life, and that it furthers your agenda in this world. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: In what way has God’s will for me been of benefit to others?