Psalm 71:20-23

Psalm 71:20-23 says, “20 You have given me many troubles and bad times, but you will give me life again. When I am almost dead, you will keep me alive. 21 You will make me greater than ever, and you will comfort me again. 22 I will praise you with the harp. I trust you, my God. I will sing to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel. 23 I will shout for joy when I sing praises to you. You have saved me.” I came across this verse when I was doing some research on being called to ministry. I’ve felt a greater pull in regards to the calling He has placed on my life. A pull that lures me into something bigger than I thought I could do. This passage just spoke volumes to me. I’m going to break it down, verse by verse, and share how it has spoke to me.

“You have given me many troubles and bad times, but you will give me life again. When I am almost dead, you will keep me alive.” Psalm 71:20
It’s no secret that I don’t have the greatest past. One could say I sowed my wild oats and didn’t make the best decisions. Even after I found my salvation, the road wasn’t smooth. I’ve had hardships. No one said Christianity was easy. But here’s the best part, He gave me life again. He met me in my darkest valleys and gave me hope. He breathed life into these dead bones and gave me a purpose.

“You will make me greater than ever, and you will comfort me again.” Psalm 71:21
God has placed a higher calling on my life. Sometimes people and the world tries to stifle that calling or keep it contained in a little box of rules or conformity. But that purpose He has put on me is far bigger and better than anything man says. When I feel beat up by the rules of the world, it’s okay because He meets me in my hurts and gives me comfort and peace.

“I will praise you with the harp. I trust you, my God. I will sing to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.” Psalm 71:22
I was made to worship Him. It doesn’t matter whether I use an instrument or my voice. I am a worshipper at heart. My sole purpose in life is to worship Him. I can worship Him because I can trust Him to care for me. I may have hard times but my song of praise to Him never ceases because He is faithful to see me through to the finish.

“I will shout for joy when I sing praises to you. You have saved me.” Psalm 71:23
I ran hard and fast from God during my teen and early adult years. I rebelled. I did everything wrong. But those wrongs just turned into a testimony. He really did save me. He reached down from His holy throne, scooped sinful me into His hand, and whispered to me that my life has a purpose. He chose me to fulfill a calling of music ministry. He gave me the gift of music to be used for His Kingdom. I have no other choice but to “shout for joy when I sing praises” to Him. Worship is not just my calling, it’s a lifestyle choice I’ve embraced because of His saving grace.

Purpose. Calling. Passion. Gifts.

Purpose. We all have one in this life. But what is it? How do we figure out that purpose? Does it come to us in a dream, over time, through trial and error? How? I’m sure we all discover our purpose through different means. Maybe a preacher spoke over you, or maybe it came to you through your prayer time. Or maybe it’s as simple as being drawn to something specifically, like a passion. What we do know is that God put us here intentionally and with a purpose.

Now, here is a bigger question. Is our purpose directly tied to our passion?

For instance, as I’ve shared before, my passion is worship. Is leading worship or being involved with worship my purpose? As for me, yes. He has placed a passion in me and given me the gifts — and that’s important — to fulfill my purpose. And those gifts go hand and hand with purpose. I genuinely feel as though God has given me the ability to sing and play a musical instrument to glorify Him and not for my own gratification.

God blesses each and every one of us with gifts. We just need to figure out how those gifts correlate with our purpose in His grand plan. And that can be tough. Maybe your gift isn’t something as simple as mine. Maybe God has placed perseverance in your spirit so that you can reach out to those who are hurting and feel as though they can’t go on anymore. Or perhaps God has given you the gift of gab. You can go up to just about anyone and strike up a conversation which could open the door for you to invite that person to church or a bible study. What God wants of us ultimately is to use our gifts for His cause. Those gifts are just that — gifts. He has chosen to give us those out of love and with the intention of using them for His purpose within His Kingdom. 1 Timothy 4:14-15 says, “14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.” Paul is writing to Timothy on what it means to be a good servant of Christ. Our gifts from God are meant to be used for His good. The gifts which He has blessed us with must be apart of our daily lives. We need to eat, breathe, and sleep those gifts so to say.

Our purpose in life is the calling to use the gifts God has instilled in each and every one of us. Our purpose drives our passions. Our passions are driven by the gifts He gives us. If we could all just grasp that concept it would be amazing how His Kingdom would just explode. Each of us are given gifts that intricately work in tandem if we could only step out if faith and embrace our callings in life.