Blake Allen, Student and Outreach Minister, LHBC
Psalm 139:13-16
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
Let this soak in for a minute: you were created on purpose. You are not an afterthought. You are not a burden. You are not a surprise. You were created on purpose, with purpose, for a missional purpose.
You Were Created on Purpose
God intentionally created you, he fashioned you in the womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. The psalmist rejoices knowing this is the very case; it is his cause for praise. Even before our pre-embryonic stage, God knew the number of our days. He knows every hair on your head. He knows how many breaths you will take. He knows everything about us because He is the creator. Even before we were conceived, God knew us. And formed you on purpose.
I don’t know about you but this gives me comfort. There have been times in my life where I questioned my worth and value, whether my life had any meaning or purpose. Like a deer in the headlights, Psalm 139 collided with my heart. That’s when I realized where my value comes from. My value doesn’t come from my 401k. My value comes from the God who owns all the treasures of the universe. My value doesn’t come from what I do. My value comes from the handiwork of God, the eternal artist who paints me like a canvas which he calls “good.” My value doesn’t come from what others say or think of me. My value comes from what God has declared concerning me. You and I were created on purpose.
You Were Created with Purpose.
Our purpose is to bring honor and glory to the Lord. The handiwork of our God is marvelous. He has spoken all of creation into existence. When we consider the nature of all creation we can logically conclude there must be a creative designer behind it all. All of creation testifies to the handiwork of God. He is deserving of all glory and praise. He is worthy of our devotion. And we are created for His purpose and pleasure. We were created for His glory. Though mankind turned away from the creator and worshipped creation, God would send His son to turn mankind’s attention back to Himself and His glory. Mankind was redeemed for His glory. We also know that all believers have a gift from the Holy Spirit to be used for His glory. God desires and deserves glorious praise! We were created to bring glory to God.
You Were Created for a Missional Purpose
God has given us a missional purpose as well. He commissioned His disciples to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. All who confess Jesus as Lord have become a new creation in Christ. He is recreating the world through His son! And when we have been dressed by Christ’s righteousness, God the Father looks upon redeemed creation and sees His original work in creation, namely, that which He calls “good.” It is for this reason He sent His son. It is for this reason He commissioned His church.
We are called to advance the Gospel in Satan’s territory and bring many into a salvific encounter with Christ. God desires to work out His plan of redemption by using His church. He desires to use us for this purpose. There is no plan B! There are others who need to know God created them on purpose. There are others that need to know they have value in Christ Jesus. There are others who need to know their life has meaning. The cross gives us value and purpose. God saw it worth it to send His son. The Son saw it worth it to lay down His life for His sheep. The Holy Spirit gives us worth and gifts to use for God’s glory. And the church needs to ensure all people know these realities.
You are created on purpose, with purpose, and for a missional purpose.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, help us to call to mind Psalm 139 when we question our worth and value. Remind us we were created with purpose. In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 3:3- But You oh Lord, are a shield for me; my glory and the lifter of my head