Purpose, Identity & the Existence of God

Sep 25

Last Sunday, as we as we studied, prayed, and discussed, “Does Life Have a Purpose?” the first big question in our Explore God series, what came up for you?

What have been your thoughts or insights about purpose?
What did you share with others about your life, relationships, and faith?
What would you say to others who are wrestling with this question of purpose?

In Ecclesiastes 3:11, we learned that humans are limited beings and while at the same time God has placed eternity in our hearts. We live in this tension. A tension between the desire to know our purpose in the overall significance of life and the boundaries of our context and perspective.

And within these limits, we struggled through questions about purpose that ultimately force us back to our need for relationship—with God and others.

Because we are made by God, designed to reflect His nature, our purpose must forever flow from our connection (or disconnection) from that identity in Him.

In the 19th century, Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote a prayer that describes the connection of identity and purpose. And that this identity inherently affirms our value, our uniqueness, our usefulness, and our endurance that leads to purpose:

I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created…
God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next…
Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work…Therefore I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
He does nothing in vain…He knows what He is about.

What might it look like for you to share with God

Your questions around identity and purpose this week?

THIS SUNDAY

Sunday, we’re diving into the big question of “Is There a God?”

What comes to mind when you consider this?
Have you asked this before in your life? When?
Who in your life is asking this question currently?

I encourage you to consider the question beneath the question. What leads us to ask about if there is a God? What draws a person toward God—the Christian God ? What pushes them away?

I find, in many of my conversations, the biggest vocalized deterrent to belief in God is other’s perceptions of His people, past or present.

And yet, in many other conversations, there is an underlying deterrent that is much more personal. God didn’t come through for me. He didn’t protect me. He lets so much hurt happen. Why doesn’t he show up? I prayed and prayed, yet nothing happened. This question about God’s existence is really connected to our existence and our experience.