Made with a Purpose

When God formed you, He did it with intention. He individually fashioned your heart in a unique way. There has never been anyone like me or you, and there never will be anyone like us ever again. Only you sound like you to Him. The sound of my thoughts are a unique voice to God, and my agreement with Him is like music to His ears!


Psalms 94:9-11 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.


God made us to enjoy our company. Like a good Father, He wants us to be with Him where He is and doing what He is doing, sharing in the purpose and privileges of His kingdom....He formed us for good:


Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord , thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.


There is chorus of hearts continually before Him, some in tune, singing in agreement with Him, and some way out of tune, with no regard for His pleasure in the sound. But Jesus lovingly made each one...knowing the potential for greatness in His kingdom that He knit into each person He has made.


Psalms 33:14-15 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.


Every person IS His favorite. Since He authored each heart, there isn't one He doesn't like....there isn't one that doesn't fit. My obedience to Jesus tastes different to Him than anyone else's. My worship sounds different. In His wisdom, God has chosen to not duplicate the sound of my joy and laughter. My love is a flavor He can only savor when I offer it to Him. My attention warms His heart like no other.


It takes God to love God. He won't force me to give Him my attention or my heart, BUT He is faithful to arrange my life to produce the conditions that release the fragrance to Him!


The Bible describes my heart like a garden. God has planted many enjoyable things in the garden, then He gave me the key to it. This is how He describes our hearts:


Song of Solomon 4:12-16 A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A spring shut up, A fountain sealed. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates With pleasant fruits, Fragrant henna with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, With all the chief spices— A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon.


Our hearts are ours to give to anything, or anyone we want to. This is the response that releases our hearts to Jesus:


Awake, O north wind, And come, O south! Blow upon my garden, That its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden And eat its pleasant fruits.


This response in the Song of Songs basically means this:


Jesus, have your way in the circumstances in my life. You are trustworthy. Whatever it takes to get my heart closer to you, that is what I choose. Help me see every circumstance as an opportunity to encounter you at a deeper level.


The "wind" God brings to release the fragrance of our hearts often feels negative. Often times the wind is trouble and tribulation. God occasionally allows the enemy access to us for this purpose. Just like in the story of Job, satan cannot access us without permission, either from us or from God. Our sin, rebelling against God's leadership, gives satan legal access to our lives. However, occasionally God allows the enemy to touch our lives to draw us unto Himself.


Nothing fixes our attention on God like a situation that causes us to "lean hard against God." God uses the evil intentions of the enemy to give us a context to release more of our hearts to God:


Romans 8:25, 28-29 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.


Now this is where our response really matters. Without searching God's intention in the trouble out, it is easy for me to take the wrong path and respond to the trouble in a wrong way, either by accusing God, assuming He wants me to live in the trouble, or expecting Him to resist the devil for me.


When hardship comes, it is easy to fall for the lie of the enemy and think God isn't paying attention, He has either forgotten me, or He is powerless to save me, or He doesn't want to help me. Another wrong thought is to think "God allowed it, so He will just deal with it at the proper time." These are actually ALL the wrong responses! To know the right response, we need to know why God is allowing something to touch us!


God wants our partnership in resisting the very attack He is allowing. The point of the attack isn't to beat us down, and the point isn't for Dad to constantly fix everything. The point is to draw us deeper in partnership with God. Jesus wants us with Him where He is!


John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.


God has also prepared a life for me to draw us close to Him IF I will respond rightly to the circumstances He allows. Jesus will not force me to draw near to Him, but He is faithful to create the context in my life to keep my eyes looking for Him in the situation. If I never look for agreement with Jesus in the situation and wrongly assume either He wants me IN the hardship or that I am to do nothing until He removes me FROM the situation, many times I will miss the point of the trouble, which is often allowed to touch my life to enlarge my capacity to experience God, build a secret history of victory in Jesus, and to overcome my own fears and flesh.


Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.


Jesus doesn't need me to accomplish His plans, and my tribulation doesn't really help Him accomplish anything. He actually could wave His hand and fix the world if He wanted to. BUT He has a much greater and more inclusive plan! He DESIRES to include me in what He is about! The tribulation He allows to touch my life IS, in fact, for MY good. It is designed to produce repentance (breaking me agreement with the enemy and coming under God's leadership) and/or to give me a new "event of victory" over the enemy in my secret history with God...a new filling of my lamp with oil!


Seeing God's intentions in the trouble brings me to places of victory over the enemy and my own flesh. My victory brings my Father great delight. I want to learn to handle the tribulation in a way that brings God pleasure, because He takes pleasure in me growing into a son. A son sees things from the perspective of his father. A son is confident of His father's leadership, and a son shares in the wealth and work of the family. I want to learn to see the trouble God allows as another opportunity to fight along side of Jesus and draw near to Him. The trouble is really just the context Jesus uses to bring us closer:


James 4:7-8 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Give me a vision of my life that agrees with you, Jesus!