“I think it would be great to have a clear purpose in life, and to run hard after that purpose. But what if you don’t know what your life purpose is? What if you’re like me, a lousy goal setter, easily distracted, easily thrown off course, and very often full of self-doubt?”

There are all kinds of books and blogs and videos about finding your purpose in life.

From Tony Robbins to Oprah to Dr. Wayne Dyer to TD Jakes and even to TED Talks, numerous experts teach how we can find our purpose in life. Life coaches and success instructors tell us we can find our life purpose by asking ourselves questions like: What do you love to do? What drives you or energizes you? How do you want to help people? And so forth. If you search blogs on the topic of your life’s purpose, you will find quotes like:

The two greatest days of your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out what your purpose is, but if you don’t know what your purpose is than you don’t know why you are here, and it can be hard to keep going. –Shannon Kaiser

Or this quote by Jack Canfield:

If you want to be fulfilled, happy, content, and experience inner peace and ultimate fulfillment, it’s critical that you learn how to find your passion and life purpose. Without a life purpose as the compass to guide you, your goals and action plans may not ultimately fulfill you. –Jack Canfield

I think it would be great to have a clear purpose in life, and to run hard after that purpose. But what if you don’t know what your life purpose is? What if you’re like me, a lousy goal setter, easily distracted, easily thrown off course, and very often full of self-doubt? Maybe you have just graduated from college, and aren’t sure which direction to head. Maybe you’ve just been fired from a job or retired and don’t know what you should do now. Maybe you’re like me and have a number of interests and don’t know exactly which to focus on.

Here is what the Bible says about finding your purpose in life:

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. PS 138.8

You know what I love about this verse? It doesn’t talk about me finding MY purpose for my life. It talks about the Lord fulfilling HIS purpose for my life. This is great news. The Lord has a purpose for every single person who has believed in Jesus and called upon him to save them. God isn’t wondering what to do with me; he knows exactly what he is going to do. He has plans for the life of every one of his children.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. JE 29.11

Whether we have plans for ourselves or not, God has a plan for each of us. We don’t always know them; in fact we have no idea of all the plans God has for us. But he knows them. He’s not scratching his head. He has every single second of our lives planned out; he knows every single thing he will take us through. And all of God’s plans are for our well-being and good. God says he has a future and a hope for us.

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