Finding Our Purpose: Relying on the Lord

There is a key element to resting in the Lord that tends to make all the difference between truly resting in the Lord and just taking a break. That component is reliance on God. What does it really mean to rely on God? I have struggled with this for quite some time. My general feeling on it has been that relying on God would mean that I have some sort of defect or that I am incapable of living this life on my own. Well, to be quite honest, it isn’t really a defect, it is the way we were created. We are indeed incapable of doing this on our own. We were created to rely on our Holy God. We all have a God shaped hole in our lives. Some of us fill it with work, friends, hobbies, food, drinks, exercise, busyness, etc…, but the main thing to understand here is that we all do it. If we aren’t relying on God we are relying on other things to be our “god.” It’s all a matter of where the heart is.

Like a child who is too small to care for itself, we are in a way the same as that child. Now, we are not helpless or mindless robots, but we are all at a point where we do rely on something or someone to help us. God created me and you to rely upon Him like a child relies on his/her parents to provide. A child relies on a parent to sustain them, shelter, protect, and guide, but mostly a child puts their trust in the parent/parents. God is our sustainer. When Jesus was preparing for his death he promised his followers the Holy Spirit.

John 15:14-21 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will come. The Lord will not leave His children as orphans. This is evidence of God’s protection, of His guidance. The Lord has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Joshua 1:5b “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” In His promises we can rely. We can fully depend on Him to be there for us. In our time of weariness, in the times we need rest, the Lord is there. Always remember that.

One thing we must also keep in mind is that to rely on the Lord is to rest, not on our own abilities, but on His. God is more than able and capable to help you through life so rely on Him to do so. Relying on God is also trusting that while you are at resting in Him, and the world is moving around you, that He will put you back in the race at the right moment. Proverbs 29:25 “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Do not fear or doubt when you are resting in the Lord. It is at that moment that He is doing a work in you. It is in these times of fear that we try to take the reins, take control. And it is in those times when we seriously need to be relying in Him. Trust that He will keep His word and He will keep you safe. If you want to find your purpose you have to trust that the Lord will indeed keep you safe. We must rely that God will provide a path and will direct our footing. Let Him be your guide.

Relying on the Lord is also relying in your position in Christ. Admittedly, if you are relying on God there is probably a good chance you are a Christ follower. If not, then let me please ask that you consider your roll in His kingdom. He desires you; He wants to be the Lord of your life. He loves you enough that Christ made the ultimate sacrifice and paid for our sins upon that cross, to a point of death. Understand that this is the perspective from which I speak. If you don’t know Christ as your savior, let me encourage you to do just that. As was mentioned before, there is a God-shaped hole in our life and we can choose to either fill it with Him or with idols. Let me encourage you to pursue the former. And now back to the subject at hand. When you rely in your position in Christ, you realize that it isn’t your own ability to achieve greatness. It isn’t going to be anything you can do to find your purpose. The Lord will have to guide you, and you have to trust in Him to do so. Rely on the Lord to put your life in sync with His Word. How do you do this? Well, I am glad you asked. 1 Thes. 5:16-18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” There is an element of faith, of reliance upon God in these words. When times are rough, when the storms of life hit us, we must still be joyful, commit to prayer, and be thankful at all time. Is it hard to do when we feel like the world is moving by us and we are sitting still? It sure is, but rely on the Lord. Is it hard to do that when you are in the midst of a personal crisis? It sure is, but rely on God. He is good. Let me repeat that, He is GOOD!! God will never leave you nor forsake you. If you want to find your purpose and you want to be able to rest in Him then you need to rely on the Lord. Thank God that He is more than able. Knowing that gives me peace that is indescribable.