God is a God of purpose. Everything He does and creates reflects it. For example, He created gills in fishes and made water their natural habitat so that they could breathe as they swim in the water. Because fishes don’t have lungs, they cannot survive on land.
After God had made the world, He created man to have dominion over everything He had created. We see this in Genesis 1:26:
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
Genesis 1:26 NKJV
From the verse above, it’s understandable that God created man to have dominion over the earth, not over people. Knowing this very well, every solution each person is in this world, for which cause God brings people to the earth is meant to reveal this nature of dominion through purposeful living.
However, the fall happened in Genesis 3, and since that, many people continue to have struggles finding God’s purpose for their existence. Well, Jesus is the solution. First of all, He redeems us from the life of sin and transforms us gradually through discipleship in His Word, Church and Holy Spirit. Then as this goes on, He commissions us to live purposeful lives filled with relevance to His kingdom and the lives of several people, both in our families, the Church and the world. If you’re struggling to know why God brought you to this earth, here are five keys God uses to reveal divine purpose unto His people.
1. The Word of God
In Ephesians 2:10 NKJV, the Bible says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
The above verse implies that the primary constituent of every purposeful life is “good works.” And since we can only be created in Christ to do them, then it’s become a necessity to receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ before finding your purpose. God’s intent for saving people isn’t only for them to escape hell but to give them a life of relevance.
As you study, listen and teach God’s Word, which can happen in diverse ways, you’ll realise that your life will attract the demands of others because they’ll receive your impact. When this starts to happen in your life, you’re on the roadmap of living purposefully.
2. Divine Encounters
Another way God uses to reveal divine purpose is through divine encounters. A divine encounter is simply a supernatural spiritual experience with God in a unique way that changes your life forever. These usually happen to those who seek the Lord with all their heart to know why they were born and find their specific calling.
Jeremiah and Moses are two people in the Old Testament that experienced this to know their purpose. For Moses, he met God in a “seemingly” burning bush. But for Jeremiah, God explicitly tells him that he’s a prophet. I want to take this opportunity to shed more light on Jeremiah’s story of how he knew his purpose using Jeremiah 1:5.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV
Jeremiah’s father, called Hilkiah, was a priest (Levite). And in those days, it was natural for priests’ children to grow and get trained to also become priests in the house of God. Had God not told Jeremiah that he was a prophet, he would have grown to become a priest (Levite) and not a prophet, ending him in the pursuit of a wrong calling. That usually happens to many people who try to replicate what’s happening in their family line without daring to step into God’s purpose.
I want to challenge you that when God calls you and reveals your divine purpose to you, it makes you different. And because of this, persecution is bound to come, especially from your own family. Remember that God knows you more than your parents. Even though your parents’ words seem weighty on you as a child, it’s for your good to follow God’s leading. That doesn’t mean you have to abandon your family. It simply means you’d have to pursue purpose with or without them.
Sometimes, people may find it difficult to accept you because you’re different. But don’t let that discourage you. They, and others, will later see your relevance in their lives as you make a godly impact.
3. Heartfelt Revelations
Revelations in God’s Word are so powerful. They are crucial ways God uses to transform lives. They make you see beyond just looking. When it comes to God revealing divine purpose through it, He sometimes does it through our hearts. Let’s look at how the experience of Nehemiah confirms this.
[3] And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” [4] So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:3-4 NKJV
In the days of Nehemiah’s existence, the people of Israel were in exile to the king of Persia. Situations were so bad that Jerusalem’s wall, which was purposed to protect the city, lain in destruction, and nobody seemed to care about it. When Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, inquired about the Jews, he was so sad that he mourned, prayed and fasted for many days.
Since that heartfelt revelation happened, Nehemiah’s life changed forever. God used simple news to woo his heart to rebuild the wall, giving him a life of purpose.
Many people look at problems, but few see solutions to these same problems. What are the godly passions that fill your heart and never leave no matter how many times you’ve tried to ignore them? It might be God’s key for revealing your divine purpose unto you.
Many people look at problems, but few see solutions to these same problems.
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4. Unpleasant Past Experiences
An unpleasant past life experience can also be a hint to your purpose. I call it hindsight. God used this to reveal Moses’ purpose unto him, aside from the encounter he had in Mount Horeb.
When Moses was forty and the next heir to the throne, somehow, God gave him a passion to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian oppression. He knew he was born to do this. But Moses was impatient. He killed one Egyptian slave master and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12). Later on, Pharaoh heard of it and decided to kill Moses. That news made Moses flee to Midian, and that’s where God used the family of Jethro, who was also a priest, to train him for extra forty years before coming back to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Moses had an unpleasant life experience at age forty. But at least, it was a sign God used to reveal his divine purpose unto him. If he hadn’t stayed in Egypt until that time, how would God send him back to Egypt? Moses would have poured out more complaints than those he made in Exodus chapters 3 and 4.
Do you have a bad past life experience like sexual abuse, malnutrition, injustice, human trafficking, extreme poverty and lack of provision? If you’re passionate to see these things change not only in your life but also in the lives of many, it’s a sign God is using to reveal your purpose unto you. Perceive it.
5. The Manifestation of Gifts
The last thing I’m going to share here on how God reveals divine purpose is the manifestation of gifts. There are some people naturally born with unusual gifts that make them unique. Some have to do with brilliant public communication, some about music, and also some about specific business ventures. Well, they are numerous. But do you know God has given each person a sense of purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:11)?
God can use your gift to reveal your purpose. For example, a child may aspire to sing in God’s house as he(or she) starts rehearsing songs from infancy. As a parent, you shouldn’t discourage the child but rather encourage (and even find schools to help bring that skill to its full potential) because it’s not just about passion but also the fulfilment of purpose. However, I want to say that gifts may be great, but they need the training to become better and godly character to go far. Don’t neglect God’s gift(s) in you.
In conclusion, I’d say that life is about purpose, not a prediction or a game. God didn’t bring you on earth only to grow, get a job, marry, have children, build a house and die. Life goes far beyond that. Come to Jesus today, and enable Him to give you a life of relevance.
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