For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV)
“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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
God has a plan for every life. Every. Life. It is a good and pleasing and perfect plan and it greatly behooves us to walk in it. How absurd to think that God would so carefully form us and make plans to prosper and not to harm us merely for us to eat, drink, sleep, buy, sell or fritter away the time. To be sure, when the rights of the Master are absolute, obedience is unconditional. God is Sovereign and He has designed a particular purpose for all of His creation. Bees and beasts, moon and stars, fruits and flowers are all appointed to act according to their natures. We would not expect a bee to bark or a dog to sting, right? But man is designed for a nobler end, suitable for the excellency of his being and that is to worship and glorify God and to seek godliness and holiness. In Ephesians Paul tells us that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are neither chance nor happenstance. Our lives have purpose and meaning and our works are intended to bring God much glory and us much good.
The Lord made all things for Himself. Man was made to worship Him both affectionately and actively, bringing Him glory. Just as Adam and Eve did before the fall as they worked the garden and enjoyed sweet communion with the Father – His message going from their head to their heart to their hands. Then sin entered into the picture. After which work became drudgery and sweet communion became hostility. Because of this, God sent His Son to save us from our sinful selves and to teach us the way to walk and work and live to again bring Him much glory and us much goo. It starts with the Truth in our heads going down to our hearts and flowing out of our hands. The created are the ultimate losers if we do not follow the Creator’s plan for our lives.
But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)