Psalm 138

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” vs. 8

It’s not unusual for the faithful to wonder about their purpose in life. Often our paths seem indistinguishable from those of the people around us–there’s a certain routine: education, career, marriage and family, and before we know it, we’re planning our retirement. And it’s possible to do all of that without an overriding sense of purpose. Stuff happens, we react, and another day dawns. It’s like “Groundhog Day,” and tomorrow is pretty much like yesterday. Some have been feeling this on a small scale during this pandemic, but others have felt it for a lifetime. And we wonder about our purpose–what special thing might God have for us to do? Where do we fit in God’s eternal plan? Some folks take matters into their own hands and carefully work out their own plan for life, often in great detail. And then life happens, and all their planning goes up in smoke! The psalmist points us to a larger truth in this verse by saying that “the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.” If he’s right we can relax! He’s implying that God does indeed have a plan and a purpose but we don’t have to worry about what it is. It’s merely a matter of trusting that we are being conformed by the steadfast love of God into the beautiful persons we have been designed to be. 

Thought for the Day: What special gift am I bringing to the world?