“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalm 33:11 (NIV).
The more we know and understand God’s word, the more we know and understand our Lord. As we read in the gospels, everything Jesus did during His life here on earth had a depth of meaning, mission, and purpose. When we read through Paul’s letter to the churches, we see Paul modeling His life after Christ and living out his purpose to spread the gospel, not letting even the most drastic events, like a shipwreck, sway him from his calling. Therefore, as God’s people, we have been created for a purpose, and we can trust that God’s plans and purposes for our lives will stand firm through the ages.
God is intentional with His plans and purposes that concern us. We were not created haphazardly to wander through life following where our hearts might lead. We are like soldiers created for a mission that God divinely purposed before one of our days began. It is not emotion or desire that guides us in our purpose, but the word of God that stands through the ages. There is a firmness and steadfastness in the plans of God that we can cling to and take comfort in. We all play a part in advancing His kingdom’s purposes here on earth.
While our day-to-day life may not look exactly like Jesus’ or Paul’s, we can be confident that God desires to work through our everyday circumstances for His glory and the recusing of the lost and broken.
God can use the simplest gesture of kindness or compassion to impact a life more profoundly than we may ever know. When He places an idea in my heart, I am learning to trust Him with the outcome. He may have a purpose that I don’t understand. That encouraging note or a homemade meal may be a critical seed I am planting. Unlike Jesus, who knows all things, I see only in part. That is why, for me to live a life of purpose and intention, like a soldier on a mission – I need to trust God with the purpose and plan for my life.
As our journey in HEARTstrong Season Three enters its last month, we have all become better equipped to spread the good news of Jesus. May we trust Him to guide and lead us with intention, knowing that His purposes stand Firm through the ages and that we are part of something much bigger than we can truly grasp in the present.
Lord, thank you for your purpose and plan for my life, which stands through the ages. You faithfully use what I place in your hands for your glory. Even when I am walking through painful and difficult seasons, I can still live out the purpose and plan that You have for my life because You are faithful, true, and steadfast. Help me to live every day with the awareness of the mission you have me on. I am rescued to rescue in the Mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.
