I look at the tools when I go to a garage sale; often there are all kinds of them for sale. Sometimes I don’t recognize a tool; it’s just a strange configuration of metal, wood, and maybe springs. I usually don’t ask what it is, for two reasons: first, I don’t want to appear stupid; second, if I don’t know what it is I probably don’t need it. However, if I were to ask what it is, I’d probably say “What does it do?” In other words, what’s the purpose of the tool? Why was it invented and manufactured in the first place? Everything that’s been dreamed up, designed, and manufactured has a purpose.

In this sermon series called “Seeking God” we’ve discussed the fact that this whole universe, including life — and human life in particular — is here because of intelligent design: it was created by God. Then we focused on the fact that God wants to interact in a personal way with the highest form of life He’s created: us humans. Last week we talked about how God reached out to us in the ultimate way by actually becoming one of us in Jesus — and how Jesus, through His death and resurrection, provides a way for us to get right with God now and forever.

Today we’ll consider all of this and reach the conclusion that God has a purpose for everything. He created the universe and life, including human life, and He has provided a way to redeem human life from sin. Obviously He has reasons for this; there’s a purpose behind it all. This means that you and I have a reason for being here and that God has a purpose for us.

This is great news! Best-selling author Rick Warren stated on his web site, “The most basic question everyone faces in life is why am I here? What is my purpose?” We do have a purpose — God’s purpose — for being here. God created us for a purpose: we’re His tools — and far more.

LIFE WITH A PURPOSE
Diann and I have created a gift for our son Dan and daughter-in-law Teri. They have a child on the way, and they gave us an early ultrasound image of our new grandchild. It may be an image that only a grandparent could appreciate, but I want to show it to you anyway, because Diann and I have added two verses of Scripture to the image, both from the book of Jeremiah. Each one of us at one time was the age and size of the image we have of our grandchild. You were once in your mother’s womb at this stage; picture yourself in this ultrasound. On the left of the picture of the tiny little baby are the words “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; . . .” (Jeremiah 1:5) On the right are the words “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11) This is God’s message for you today, even after all these years out of the womb!

God knew that you’d be exactly where you are right now, facing what you’re facing now. It hasn’t caught Him by surprise; He saw it coming, and He has a plan for you!

In the Old Testament there’s a marvelous story about a young woman named Esther. She was beautiful and was married to the king of Babylon, though she was Jewish. She and her people had been exiles for 70 years in Babylon, and due to a series of unusual events she had become the queen. Her much older cousin Mordecai had raised her as his own daughter. Now the Jewish people were in great danger because of some fancy political maneuvering by enemies of the Jewish people. Esther was in a unique position to influence the king to save her people. However, it would be risky, because if the king didn’t take kindly to her input he could have her executed. Mordecai said to her, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

Where do you find yourself? It hasn’t caught God by surprise. You may be facing something challenging that’s not of your own making. In some cases our circumstances are due to our own making or our wrong choices, or they might be at least partly due to the wrong choices of others. It doesn’t matter; God saw it coming! He’s saying to us today, “And who knows but that you have come to such a place for such a time as this?” No matter where you find yourself in life, you’re in a strategic place to carry out God’s great, grand purpose for you!

OUR PURPOSE FOR BEING HERE
What are God’s purposes for our being here? The specifics of our lives may vary, but the purposes fall under several general categories. Rick Warren has done us a great service by listing in simple terms five purposes for which we’ve all been created and which we should live for.

(1) To live in awe of God, to become increasingly amazed by Him — that’s WORSHIP.

(2) To grow to be the people He has in mind for us to be, which means to become more and more like Jesus — that’s GROWTH.

(3) To relate in a positive way to others, to love them, to influence them for the good, to add value to their lives — that’s FELLOWSHIP.

(4) To serve God in the unique way He’s gifted you and in the unique set of circumstances He’s placed you with the interests He’s given you — that’s MINISTRY.

(5) To live in such a way as to be an example of how great it is to know Jesus, and to talk about Him to other people, with the purpose of helping them become followers of Jesus — that’s EVANGELISM.

These are five purposes for which we’ve all been created. There’s no greater way to live than to fulfill God’s purposes for us!

GOD’S PURPOSES WILL PREVAIL
“Sovereign” is a fancy word that describes part of who God is. The sovereignty of God refers to the fact that He rules and is in ultimate control. Nothing is beyond His control or out of His control. Whatever happens He either causes to happen or allows to happen (which is sometimes referred to as His active and passive will). Job said to God, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) There’s that favorite word of mine: thwart, meaning to stop. No plan of God’s can be thwarted.

I remember when our offer was accepted for the Silver Creek property, the future home of our new church facility. I also remember exactly where I was standing in the aisle at Carter Lumber when Joe Ballmer, our architect, called me to say that the seller had backed out of our offer and had accepted a higher offer from an out-of-town developer. We were all heartbroken. We kept praying, and Joe kept in touch with the seller and with the new buyer. Eventually the buyer backed out, and we were able to purchase the land at the price we originally offered. The out-of-town developer’s plans had been thwarted!

The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21) We can imagine what should be and what should be done, but ultimately God will have His way.

Even presidents, kings, and emperors must ultimately do God’s bidding. As powerful as leaders and nations can be, they’re still all under God’s rule. “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:10-11) When we see a picture or video of world leaders meeting to make plans and settle disputes, let those images remind us that God is king of kings and lord of lords!

The question sometimes arises as to how God’s ultimate control fits the whole idea of free will. In other words, how can we have the freedom to make our own choices if God is ultimately going to have His way? I like the way the late A.W. Tozer explained it: picture a cruise ship. People on the ship can make their own choices about when they take a nap, go on deck to watch a sunset, swim in the ship’s pool, or go to the ship’s restaurant, but meanwhile the ship is heading to a destination that the passengers can’t change. They have their freedom on board, but their destiny — their destination — is set. We’ve been given great freedom by God, but He’s still sovereign and will ultimately have His will done on earth as it is in heaven.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21) This verse should make a thinking person consider whether it might not be wise to do things God’s way instead of our own way.

YIELDING TO GOD’S PURPOSES
There’s a cost to believing in God, and this is probably why some people decide not to believe in Him — or at least not take Him seriously. If you believe in God, who created you, sustains you, and has offered to save you, you can no longer be your own god, because you already have One! That means that you can’t live your own way; you need to make the commitment to live God’s way. Of course God’s way is the best way. It may not always seem that God’s way is the best way, but you have to believe that it is. The apostle Paul wrote, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) There may be a cost to living God’s way, but there’s a greater cost when we don’t live His way!

It’s particularly important to remember that God can work in us, if we let Him, according to His good purposes even when life seems far from perfect or when it’s a big mess. God gave an amazing piece of advice to His people who had been in exile in Babylon for 70 years. He said to them through the prophet Jeremiah, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’” (Jeremiah 29:4-7)

Living hundreds of miles away from home for three generations must have been very difficult. However, God told the people to make the best of it and to pour themselves into living where they were. It’s good advice for us, too.

What’s your situation right now? Is it not very good in some ways? God has a plan for you in the middle of it! He has plans for all of us. When we believe that His purposes can be carried out in our current situation, we’ll find peace in our present place.

Best-selling author Jerry Jenkins (the author of the Left Behind series) visited Billy Graham in 2004, when Mr. Graham was recovering from a broken pelvis. Billy Graham told Jenkins that the doctor had come earlier that day to give him an injection directly into the pelvic bone, and he had warned Mr. Graham that it would be painful.

Billy Graham told Jenkins, “The doctor told me to imagine the one place I’d rather be than this, a Shangri-la of some sort, and concentrate on that. I told him, ‘There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here, right now.’ The doctor said, ‘Why in the world would you say that? I told you, this is really going to hurt.’

“I told him, ‘Because I believe I’m in the center of God’s will, and if this is where He wants me, this is where I want to be.’” (Writing for the Soul, Jerry Jenkins, p.70)

That’s the attitude we should all aim for! If this is where God wants us right now, this is where we should want to be! God’s purpose for us can be found right where we are now! Will we be open to that? Will we yield to Him? We should all pray what the psalmist in the Bible prayed: “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)

This place . . . this time . . . God and you . . . it’s enough . . . His purposes to fulfill!